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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470901">In the Land of Gods and Monsters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/raptorginger/pseuds/raptorginger'>raptorginger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Regency, Childhood Trauma, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Violence, Omega Rey (Star Wars), Omega experimentation (non-con), Threats of Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:41:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/raptorginger/pseuds/raptorginger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A child of the streets, Rey finds herself violently thrust into a society that sees her as something both precious and profane.  Raised to believe she is nothing but what an Alpha makes of her, she tries her best to carve out her own sense of self under the negligent eyes of her stewards.</p>
<p>Until the day comes when she is put through The Ceremony, an ancient ritual where Alphas of noble birth fight to the last to see who will win the right to mate a rare Omega.  Will Ben Solo, Lord Ky'loren, confirm her worst fears about Alphas?  Or will he prove to be a different monster all together?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Urchin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wet night air of Niima was choked with coal smoke.  The cobblestones of the twisted streets sparkled with a malevolent glitter from the streetlamps.  Shadowy figures, no more than wisps of smoke themselves, stalked from shadow to shadow between the crumbling buildings, seeking shelter from the unfriendly rain.  Cloaked mutton shunters stalked the sidewalks, looking for night women to pester, lock up, and violate if they resisted.  A tiny wiry girl, clothed in no more than filthy rags, huddled with a group of other children beneath an eave.  She watched a stream of water fall from the roof of the dilapidated building they were calling shelter and into the puddle at her feet.  It mesmerized the girl, and she didn’t see the modest carriage pull up in front of the alley until a boy just a little older than her pointed it out.  She and the other children tried to sink deeper into the shadows, tried to make themselves as invisible as possible.  Stories circulated amongst children like them of those they called Snatchers.  They were scary looking men and women who went around befriending street children.  These children were never seen again.  As most urchins were Betas, the rumor was these children were used in some kind of Alpha ritual, or in some kind of evil experiments to turn them into Omegas.  The little girl huddled behind a refuse bin, trying to make herself as small as possible, as the other children huddled in front of her in an effort to keep her hidden.  The others told her she smelled different.  Different was bad.</p>
<p>“There’s a bunch of bobbies wit’ ‘em,” one of the other children hissed in her direction.</p>
<p>“I think it’s a lord and lady!” another whispered in awe.  The girl heard the carriage doors open and close, the telltale click of well heeled shoes on the uneven cobblestones.  She uncurled a little.</p>
<p>“They ain’t Snatchers.  Can’t be.”</p>
<p>The eldest child, the one they all looked to, remained silent.  He motioned for the girl to stay where she was.  His mouth was set in a grim line, his too large hat soaked with rain and falling over his eyes.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong, Charlie?” the girl asked so only he could hear.</p>
<p>“They got barkers out,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.  His hand dipped into the pocket of his tattered coat and pulled out a small blade.</p>
<p>The girl huddled closer to the bin.  </p>
<p>“Hello, Children!” a sweet feminine voice called out.</p>
<p>The children all looked at each other, confused as to why the lady dressed in clean elegant clothes was talking to them.  Charlie stepped closer to the girl still hiding.</p>
<p>“What you want, mollisher?” Charlie snapped as aggressively as he could.</p>
<p>“Watch your tongue, boy!” one of the policemen shouted.  Charlie winced, but held his ground.</p>
<p>A man dressed in a capelet and tophat stepped in front of the woman.  “Now, now, there’s no reason to be hostile, young man,” he said genially.  He pulled a small, but still sizeable pouch from inside his coat, giving it a shake.  The telltale rattle of coins could be heard down the alley.  The children’s eyes all widened.  Charlie swallowed visibly and looked back at the girl, his eyes full of remorse.  The girl closed her eyes and sighed.  Why did she have to be different?</p>
<p>The woman spoke up again, “These fine gentlemen here tell us there’s a girl in your group.  She’s...special.  We’d like to see her, maybe take her someplace safe.”</p>
<p>The man held up the bag of coins higher.  “Little girl, the coins in this bag could feed your friends for months, maybe even give them a bed to sleep on.  Don’t you want that?”</p>
<p>A strange feeling bloomed inside the girl.  Safe.  Yes.  Her friends needed to be safe.  She needed to be safe.  She began to crawl out from behind the bin.</p>
<p>“Rey, no!” Charlie hissed, grabbing her shoulders.  He looked at her pleadingly, tears in his eyes.  Was it her imagination or did Charlie smell different too?  “They’re Snatchers.  I know it.”</p>
<p>The other children milled around them, unsure of what to do.  The policemen stepped closer, almost closing in.</p>
<p>“Let me go, Charlie,” Rey whispered.  “I want you all to be safe.  I’ll be safe.”</p>
<p>Charlie was shaking his head, the tears falling freely now.  Rey saw one of the bobbies raise his gun a hair.  She stepped away from Charlie and walked backwards towards the strangers.  Haunted hungry eyes watched her go, and Rey was sure she was doing the right thing.  The man, who Rey saw was quite corpulent, tossed the small bag to Charlie.  He caught it reflexively, his eyes never leaving the other man’s.  The children huddled closer to Charlie and watched as the woman wrapped her slim arm around Rey’s shoulder and guided her back to the carriage.  Rey looked over her shoulder, but all she could see was the backs of the bobbies as they closed in around her friends.  The large man came up on her other side, raising his arm so his cape created a kind of curtain so she could no longer see.  Dread settled like a lead weight in her stomach.</p>
<p>Several loud roars rent the night air.  Then came the screams.  More shots.  Silence.  Rey twisted and shrieked, but the woman was strong and dragged her into the carriage.  Rey kicked, but the man held her down.</p>
<p>“Omega filth,” the woman hissed, slapping Rey hard across the face.  Rey whimpered and cowered in the corner of the carriage.</p>
<p>“Now now my dear, look at the environment she grew up in.  She has no idea of the rules or what she is.  Her place in all this.”</p>
<p>The woman smiled wickedly.  She reached out and smoothed Rey’s rain soaked hair.  “You’re right my love.  I’m so sorry, Omega.  I forgot my place.  What is your name?”</p>
<p>Rey sniffled.  “Why did they kill my friends?” she wailed, ignoring the question.</p>
<p>“Oh, Omega. Shh now,” the woman said, pulling Rey into her cold embrace.  Rey stiffened.  There was no warmth in it.</p>
<p>The man spoke up.  “They weren’t your friends.  They were criminals.  They knew you were an Omega, but they didn’t tell anyone.  That inferior Alpha boy wanted to keep you for himself.  That’s against the law.  Omegas like you are special.  Very special.  They belong with the nobility.”</p>
<p>Rey blinked.  Was that the only reason Charlie was her friend?  It couldn’t be.  She wouldn’t believe it.  She snatched up the blanket the fat man handed her, wrapping it tightly around herself and wiping the tears from her face with the corner.  They wouldn’t stop.  The lady continued to smile in a way that frightened Rey.</p>
<p>The carriage trundled along the street, bouncing and swaying.  Rey was tired.  She felt sick.  She curled further into the corner, hugging her bony knees to her chest.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, Omega.  We won’t let anything bad happen to you again,” the man assured.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The white masked Beta hosts shoved her into the dimly lit room, and she stumbled towards the middle onto her knees.  She silently cursed the Earl of Jakku and his simpering wife.  They had promised that they wouldn’t let this happen.  They had lied to her, just like everyone had starting with Lady Bazine and Lord Grummgar.  Lied to keep her complacent.  Lied to keep her from running.  Lied to keep her from ending it herself like the other Omegas Rey heard the servants whisper about.  If only they’d left her to die on the streets.  Let the bobbies kill her like they killed the only friends she ever had.  She hadn’t been allowed to have friends.</p>
<p>Only a few candles were lit in the room, and they were up high so as not to pose a risk during the coming fray.  Numerous frightening dark shapes approached out of the darkness towards her.  Alphas.  Rey cowered on the floor, trying her best to cover the glands on the sides and back of her neck with her hands.  She wished they’d allowed her to keep her hair down, but she’d been forced to pin her chestnut hair up for The Ceremony.  Her hair never cooperated though, and it was now a loose mess, a few strands kissing her cheeks and neck.  The skirt of her simple muslin dress was pooled around her, the soft cream color a sharp contrast to all the dark wood and fine cloth of the Alphas around her.  Rey wondered how many Omegas had huddled in this exact spot, how times some of these Alphas had been to The Ceremony.  Their combined scents screamed at her, overwhelming and intoxicating.  The Alphas all leaned forward imperceptibly, their medieval bird-like masks all pointed at her as they scented her even through the flower petals and incense stuffed into the beaks.  Rey felt an unfamiliar sensation between her thighs, deep inside her body, as one scent seemed to rise above all the others, calling to her like a siren song.  Highland tobacco.  Sandalwood.  Fine leather.  She whimpered, and the Beta hosts waved their hands, indicating that The Ceremony, such as it was, could begin.  As the Alphas all pulled off their masks and began to snarl and spit at one another, Rey shut her eyes tight and screamed.</p>
<p>Her high pitched wail was soon drowned out by the shouts and curses of the men as they attempted to tear into each other.  The twin smells of sweat and blood began to fill her nose, and Rey retched, thankful she had refused to eat this morning.  She been too afraid.  Too angry.  The sounds of fists hitting flesh were the subtle bass notes to the sick symphony.  Rey pressed her hands harder against her glands, her screams dying to whimpers.  Then, it floated over to her again.  The scent.  It made her feel warm.  Safe.  Calm.  Hang on, it seemed to say.  Rey’s whimpering subsided and she shuddered.  The sounds of the fight began to die down, only a few contenders remaining after a few minutes.  Or was it hours?  It felt like hours to Rey, but from what she’d been told, The Ceremony only lasted a few minutes, a quarter of an hour at most.  Bruised and bloody bodies were helped out of the room by silent servants.  Rey saw a few of them giving her leering glances.  She silently thanked whatever god was out there that they weren’t allowed to touch her.  Only the champion could do that.</p>
<p>“Nothing spurs an Alpha on like an Omega, Kira,” the Earl had said this morning.  He’d run his fat greasy finger down the side of her face while he’d said it, a longing lecherous look in his eyes.  Rey had dry heaved.</p>
<p>A few more minutes passed and then, silence.  Rey felt an uncontrollable shaking overtake her.  It was over, then.  She kept her eyes on the floor, and she watched as the scuffed tips of a pair of black leather boots entered her vision.  The scent hit her again, close and overwhelming, compounded by exertion and adrenaline.  The warm safe feeling swirled and twisted into something altogether unfamiliar, settling low in her abdomen.  Rey pressed her thighs together, uncomfortable with the strange sensation that had bloomed there.  She couldn’t stop shaking.</p>
<p>One of the Beta hosts behind her cleared his throat.  The other was apparently writing, as Rey could hear the scratch of a quill on parchment.  He loudly proclaimed to the almost empty room, “Be it known that the Alpha Lord Benjamin Solo, Earl of Ky’loren, has won the Omega Kira Summer by right of combat!”</p>
<p>Rey felt anger course through her blood, pushing out the confusing mix of other feelings.  Her hands clawed slowly down her glands, red angry trails left by her nails.  Blood lust filled her hazel eyes.  She rose on her haunches, turned gracefully on the balls of her feet, and lunged at the masked Beta who had spoken.</p>
<p>“THAT’S NOT MY NAME!” she screamed as she wrapped her hands around the man’s throat in an attempt to throttle him.</p>
<p>“OMEGA!” came a deep velvety voice behind her.  Rey felt her entire body still involuntarily, muscles locking, nerves freezing.  Her eyes went wide and her arms fell to her sides, releasing the Beta.  Her lower lip trembled as the Beta removed his mask, an ugly snarl on his pale face.  He reached out and struck her, his bony knuckles scraping across her cheek.  Rey fell to the floor with a yelp.  There was a loud thud, and when Rey looked up, the white cloaked Beta was gasping, red faced, and clawing at the arm of the very large, very tall Alpha that held him to the wall.  His hair was dark and bedraggled, his broad bare torso covered with a sheen of sweat and souvenirs from the recent fight.  Rey swallowed thickly.  The look on his face was murderous as he snarled at the Beta who had struck her.  The other Beta seemed unfazed and unsurprised.</p>
<p>“Touch her again, and I’ll snap your neck,” he growled menacingly in his soft velvet voice.  Rey stared up at him, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide.  The Alpha, Lord Ky’loren, looked down at her.  Rey continued to stare.  His eyes were a warm rich brown, and while they currently held harmful intent, Rey could tell they easily lent themselves to kindness.  His mouth looked soft and deeply pink against his pale skin.  Most would consider his nose and ears too large to be fashionable, his scars and markings imperfections, but Rey didn’t.  The Alpha was...handsome.</p>
<p>He dropped the Beta, the man collapsing on the floor, sputtering and gasping.  Lord Ky’loren approached her slowly, his hands relaxed at his sides.  He knelt carefully in front of her, his black breeches stretching.  Rey’s mouth went dry.  The Alpha was strong.  He pulled something from his pocket, a handkerchief.  He reached out slowly and wiped the corner of her mouth.  Rey blinked as he pulled it away, the clean white now marred with a bit of her blood.  His nostrils flared in anger, and his head snapped around to the Beta on the floor.  He quickly scrambled out of the room.</p>
<p>“I’ll fetch her things, My Lord,”  the other Beta murmured before he too left the room, leaving her and the Alpha alone.  </p>
<p>Lord Ky’loren turned his attention back to Rey.  She looked at at him fearfully.  No one had told her what came after the fight.  Terror coursed through her, the scent strong in the room.  </p>
<p>“What’s your name, Little Omega?”  he asked softly.</p>
<p>Rey blinked several times.  A very small part of her purred at being referred to in such a manner.  Rey set the feeling aside to examine later.  “Wh-what?” she stammered.</p>
<p>“You said Kira wasn’t your name.  What is it then?”</p>
<p>Rey looked down, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.  Kira had been the name Bazine and Grummgar had given her in an effort to erase her past.  She hated it, but Bazine would beat her if she argued.  She hadn’t said her true name aloud in so long.</p>
<p>“Rey.  Rey Jinn.” she whispered.  She flinched reflexively when she saw the Alpha’s arm reach out.  He pulled back, then reached out again.  His long fingers dipped under her chin and urged her to look up at him.  Rey was right.  His eyes were kind.  Up close and relaxed, his mouth looked even softer, and Rey was surprised to find herself leaning in a bit closer.  A strange feeling emanated from where he touched her skin.  She was sure he could feel the ripple of her swallow.</p>
<p>He rose gracefully and held his hand out to her.  She took it tremulously.  Her shaking eased when he wrapped his warm fingers around her cold ones.  The safe feeling came back, and Rey felt herself relax.  He let her go and motioned out the door.</p>
<p>“Time to go,” he said.  Rey stiffened when she felt him come up close behind her.  “Little Omega,” he whispered in her ear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Miss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey sat on an old upholstered bench in the entrance hallway of the dark house where The Ceremony had been held.  Her hands were folded tightly in her lap, her fingers knotted tightly together.  She stared not at the faded silk paper nor the somber portraits hung on the dark walls but at her hands.  A lit sconce was hung every few feet along the length of the hallway, but somehow they did little to dispel the oppressing dark of the place.  Lord Ky’loren had disappeared up the stairs, presumably to clean himself up a bit.  Rey was glad of it.  She’d never been so close to an unmated Alpha before, and the force of his presence was overwhelming.  Rey felt like her insides were tearing her apart, one side wanting to fight and flee and the other wanting to surrender.  It made her feel hot and sick in equal measure.</p>
<p>She jumped when a servant appeared in front of her and quietly placed her small valaise at her feet.  Rey owned very little, the lords and ladies she’d previously lived with not allowing it.  Even her clothes hadn’t been hers.  The valaise contained only what she’d managed to fritter away over the years.  A small handful of books, a battered sketchbook, a few squares of cloth she’d embroidered, and her most cherished possession a small stuffed rabbit that she’d managed to hide from Lady Bazine all those years ago.  A kindly housemaid had given it to her when she’d first arrived at Netal Manor, and she named him Charlie.  She opened the small case quietly and tugged the little rabbit out.  She sighed and held it close, finding some comfort in the childlike gesture.</p>
<p>“What’s to become of us, Charlie?” she whispered to the doll.  She’d heard stories about Omegas from the lords and ladies and their servants.  Some terrible, some sad, few happy.  She felt the familiar sting of tears prick her eyes, and she sniffled quietly and hugged Charlie tighter.  What would be her story?</p>
<p>Ben Solo, Lord Ky’loren, stepped quietly onto the landing, and watched the Omega Rey on the hallway bench.  His Omega.  A small bag was open at her feet, and she pulled something from it, her movements graceful and nimble.  It resembled a stuffed toy, tan in color with floppy limbs and ears.  She held it close and whispered something.  She seemed so alone, almost childlike.  Something twisted painfully in Ben’s chest as he saw the sparkle of tears form in her eyes.  Her scent called to him, as it had when she’d been thrust into the Ceremony room earlier.  She smelled of delicate flowers.  Sweet grasses.  Sunshine.  But something clouded it.  His Omega was still in pain.  She was terrified.  Ben was not unfamiliar with the situation of Omegas in the realm, but he’d never given it much thought.  He’d only agreed to attend this Ceremony to appease the ton.  He’d have been stripped of his title and lands if he refused again, and if there was one thing he enjoyed, it was being Lord Ky’loren.</p>
<p>He heard his footman approach behind him.  He held up his hand indicating that the man should stop.  </p>
<p>“My Lord,” the footman whispered in greeting.</p>
<p>“Have you secured the lady’s things?”  Ben asked softly.</p>
<p>“That’s all she has.  That bag there, Sir,” the man replied quietly.  Ben didn’t miss the tone of sadness, of pity, in the man’s voice.  He turned to look him in the eye.  Surely he couldn’t be serious?  As Ben looked in the younger man’s coffee brown eyes, he saw no lie or exaggeration.  He turned back to Rey, her shoulders now shaking as she tried to hold back her sobs.</p>
<p>“Christ,” he hissed under his breath.  He’d heard about Omegas being treated this way, but he never thought he’d see it.  “Get the team and driver ready, Finn.  Try to get a message to Maz so she can get some clothes ready for Miss Jinn.”</p>
<p>“By your command, My Lord,” Finn murmured before dashing off.</p>
<p>Ben walked quietly down the rest of the stairs, pausing just in front of where Rey sat huddled on the bench.  He took his soft black cloak off his arm and wrapped it around her in one fluid movement.  She flinched again, as she had when he’d reached out to touch her the first time.  He felt anger bubbling beneath his skin, but he willed the feeling into submission.  Rey looked up at him, her eyes red from crying, her cheeks tear stained.  It was indeed a stuffed rabbit that she held to her chest.  Ben felt his long neglected heart breaking for her.  Had she really known so little kindness in her life?  One of her hands reached tentatively out to tug the edges of his cloak closer around her small frame so she could hold it closed around her as he dried her eyes with a clean handkerchief.  </p>
<p>“Thank you, Alpha,” she whispered, casting her eyes down again.  Rey panicked.  She was not supposed to speak until spoken to.  She braced for the punishment she was sure was coming.</p>
<p>Ben sensed her fear spike, even as the lower parts of him stirred at hearing her call him by his designation.  “You’re welcome, Miss Jinn,” he replied in a gentle voice.  He was determined to get her to trust him.  It almost frightened him how much he wanted that.</p>
<p>Rey looked back up at him in surprise.  He picked up her small case and snapped it shut.  They both looked towards the open door as a young man approached them.</p>
<p>“Coach is ready, My Lord,” he stated with a bow.  He turned to Rey and bowed again.  “Miss Jinn.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Finn,” Ben said, his voice strong and commanding.  He held his hand out to Rey.  She released the edges of the cloak and took his gloved hand tentatively.  His grip was strong and sure as he led her from the dark home into the grey light of day.</p>
<p>Rey could not hold back a gasp as she saw the elegant coach that stood before them.  Its black lacquer shined bright even in the grey of the sky, its red and gold filigree distinct and delicate.  A team of four beautifully matched black horses snorted and stomped their hooves, their breath steaming in the slightly cooled air.  A driver sat proud on the wide bench, reins at the ready.  He turned towards them and tipped his hat.  The footman Finn stood beside the carriage, holding open the door for them.  He too nodded at them.  Ben handed her into the carriage deftly, and Rey saw his hand clench and unclench when she let go.  The inside of the coach was just as elegantly appointed as the outside, with dark red velvet and black and gold lacquer paneling.  The seats were plush and soft, and Rey found herself sinking gratefully into the velvet.  Finn snapped the door closed and could be heard joining the driver at the front.  Ben set her small bag beside her and took the seat opposite, reaching up to knock, signalling they were ready to depart.  The carriage gave a lurch, but the well sprung coach neither bobbed nor shook as it rolled along the cobbled streets.</p>
<p>Rey glanced out the window and watched the world speed by.  In the confined quarters of the carriage, his scent was even stronger, and Rey found herself getting a bit lightheaded.  She held Charlie and the cloak tighter and tried to breathe evenly.  She heard the sound of liquid being poured into a glass, and her mouth watered.</p>
<p>“Here,” Ben said.</p>
<p>Rey opened her eyes and saw he was holding a glass of water out to her.  She let Charlie fall into her lap, and she took the glass gratefully.  The carriage bumped a little, and she grabbed the glass with both hands to keep it from spilling.  The cloak slipped from her shoulders as she drank greedily.  She held it out tentatively, and Ben carefully filled it again.  She drank this one slower.  She blushed to realize Ben was watching her, looking at her.  When the glass was finished, she held it in her lap, unable to meet his scrutinous gaze.</p>
<p>“You scratched yourself pretty hard,” he said as he leaned back, his arms held out along the back of the seat, his long legs crossed as he studied her.</p>
<p>Rey fiddled with the glass and nodded.</p>
<p>“You shouldn’t hurt yourself like that, Little Omega,” he said chidingly.</p>
<p>Rey felt a little prickle of anger.  His tone was strange.  She didn’t like it.  “Please don’t call me that,” she whispered angrily.  She closed her eyes, bracing for the hit, but none came.  He hadn’t acted at all like she’d been taught to expect.</p>
<p>“I’ll call you what I like,” he replied conversationally.  “And I’ll thank you to do the same.”</p>
<p>Rey looked up in surprise.  “I-I don’t have to call you Alpha?”</p>
<p>He barked a laugh.  “No, you don’t.”  Rey watched his eyes darken.  “Although, I’d prefer it if you used that in bed.”</p>
<p>Rey felt her face flame, and she looked away.  She tried to push further back into the cushions away from him.  She’d so far been able to keep that part of this arrangement out of her head.  Now it was the only thing she could think about.</p>
<p>“So shy, Little Omega.  Don’t worry.  I’ll cure you of that soon enough,” he purred.</p>
<p>Rey felt the shaking overtake her again, the threat of tears.  Would he take her unwilling?  He had the right.  She wouldn’t cry in front of him.  Not again.  At the same time, a small part of her preened at the name.  At the thought of him taking her.  Rey shoved that feeling aside.</p>
<p>“Where are we going?” she asked as she watched them fly through the edges of the city and into the countryside.  She’d never been allowed out of the Earl’s manor.  This was the most she’d seen of the city in her entire life.</p>
<p>“To my estate in Naboo, Theed Park.  You’ll like it, I think.”</p>
<p>Rey’s eyes snapped to his again.  She’d heard of the part of the country called Naboo.  It was supposedly the crown jewel in the realm’s crown.  Lush and verdant, teeming with lakes and rivers, thick with forests and wildlife, it had once been the exclusive hunting and vacation grounds of ancient royalty.  Now it was an incredibly prosperous region, overseen by the earls and ladies of Ky’loren for many generations.  Members of the ton tripped over themselves to get one of the exclusive invitations to Theed Park and its legendary banquets, balls, and hunting parties.  The previous Earl of Ky’loren, Luke Skywalker, had ceded the title to his sister Leia in a strange move, however no one dared criticize it.  He and the Countess’ husband, General Han Solo, had passed away some months ago.  Ben Solo had taken over the title for his mother at her request, although it was the Dowager Countess Leia who was still seen the most in society.</p>
<p>He was studying her intensely again, and Rey began to fidget.  She had always been told she was a disappointment as an Omega.  Too tall, too lithe instead of small and voluptuous.  Her skin was freckled and tanned easily instead of creamy and delicate like porcelain.  Her warm brown hair was always falling from its pins and her eyes were a hazel color, almost green.  She wondered if she disappointed him, then chided herself for caring at all.  All that mattered to him was that she was an Omega, prized and rare.  The coach bounced over a rough bit of road, and the glass flew out of Rey’s hand and clattered to the floor.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry!” Rey cried as she fell to the floor to retrieve the glass, Charlie falling from her lap beside the cup.  It was a lot bumpier and colder on the floor of the coach, and Rey whimpered when her head hit the seat.</p>
<p>Her hands had grabbed both items when Ben’s strong fingers wrapped around her arms and hoisted her up off of the floor and into the space beside him.  His hands around her arms kept her from leaping back to her side of the coach.  He took the glass gingerly from her hand and placed it back in the little locking cupboard built into the side of the coach before trying to pluck the stuffed toy from her fingers.  Rey made a small sound of protest and refused to let go.</p>
<p>“Ben no, please don’t,” she pleaded as she tugged the toy away from him, panic overtaking her.  She inhaled sharply and pressed her mouth closed.  If there was one thing she had been told never to do, it was use an Alpha’s given name, especially an Alpha lord’s.</p>
<p>To her surprise, Ben let Charlie go without a protest and without striking her.  He was staring at her strangely, and she found herself rooted to the spot.  He held his hand out and she gently laid the stuffed animal in his large hand.  He turned it over and over, carefully examining the old toy with its button eyes and stitched face.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, My Lord.  I shouldn’t have done that,” she murmured.  She gasped when she felt his other hand close gently over her knee, heavy and warm.  He took her by the wrist and placed Charlie back into her hands, using both of his to hold hers.</p>
<p>“Say it again,” he commanded.  His voice was like the velvet that surrounded them and Rey shivered.</p>
<p>“Say what?”  she asked, genuinely confused.  His eyes were so dark, so mesmerizing, she felt like she was falling under some kind of Alpha spell.</p>
<p>“My name.  Say my name again.  Rey.”</p>
<p>Another small sound left her mouth at the way he said her own name.  Her tongue flicked out to wet her dry lips, and she watched his eyes follow the tiny movement.</p>
<p>She swallowed nervously.  She felt so strange.  Hot.  Shaky.  “Ben,” she breathed.</p>
<p>He pulled her closer.  Heat was rolling off of him, too.  “Again,” he whispered, his voice deep and gravely.  One of his hands left hers, but Rey hardly noticed.</p>
<p>“Ben,” she said, a bit louder this time, more of a whisper than a breath.  Ben groaned quietly as his fingers stroked the nape of her neck, just above her mating gland, his touch featherlight.  Rey yelped and jumped back, squirming as far as she could into the corner of the coach on the seat opposite him.  The gland there was more sensitive than it had ever been, and her nerves felt like they were screaming.  What was happening to her?  Rey breathed shakily and watched Ben warily across from her.  The way he was looking at her frightened her.  His gaze was hungry and predatory, his eyes almost completely black.</p>
<p>“You’ve never been through a heat, have you Little Omega?” he growled, his voice low and dripping with pleasure.</p>
<p>She shook her head.  She had never been touched like that either, but she wasn’t about to say as much.  He looked entirely too pleased with the situation.  He was leaning forward now, his dilated eyes watching her closely.  He looked so large, and Rey was suddenly very aware of how easy it would be for him to overpower her.  She drew her knees up close to her chest, not that that would do anything if he decided he wanted to assert his right as an Alpha over her at that moment, but it at least made her feel better.</p>
<p>Ben seemed to regain control of himself, and he sat back again.  He still watched her, though, as if she were some kind of puzzle.  The coach rolled along, Rey and Ben in silence, for some time before he spoke again.</p>
<p>“You know I can take whatever I want,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.  </p>
<p>Rey bristled.  “Then do it,” she challenged.  “Might as well get it over with.”</p>
<p>Ben tilted his head, his expression curious.  “No.”</p>
<p>“No?”  He didn’t want her, then.  She displeased him.  The Omega in her wailed in despair.  Her rational half hissed at it to hush.</p>
<p>He grinned wickedly.  “No.  We’ll be married when we arrive at Theed Park, that’s not going to change.”</p>
<p>Rey looked at him suspiciously.  What was happening?</p>
<p>“But I want you in my bed willingly, Little Omega.”</p>
<p>Rey scoffed.  No Alpha was ever that considerate.  No man, Alpha or not, was that considerate.  At least, not that she’d been told.</p>
<p>Her eyes went wide when he stood abruptly and placed his hands on either side of her to lean over her.  His scent, which she had gotten used to, filled her nose, and she almost had to bite back a moan.</p>
<p>“One way or another, I’ll have you begging for it.  You’ll come willingly.  That I can promise you,” he purred in her ear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. My Lord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As a young Alpha lord, Ben had been with his share of women.  Some of the most refined and skilled courtesans in Coruscant, in point of fact.  But, none of their practiced charm, none of their worldly skill, none of their beautifully painted faces could hold a candle to the Omega Rey, who was currently curled up, asleep, in the corner of his coach, as far away from him as she could possibly get.  She possessed a fiery spirit, a determination to survive, that left him in awe of her.  Him.  Lord of the oldest earldom in the realm.  An Alpha.  His mother would call him smitten.  Part and parcel of the Alpha and Omega pairing he supposed, although Rey seemed to be resisting it as hard as she could.  He sighed and rubbed his thumb along his lip as he watched her.  He hoped he’d be able to at least get her to trust him, open up a little, before her heat set in.  It hadn’t been in jest when he said he wanted her willingly, and he meant it in both body and spirit.  His parents had raised him with a deep respect for people, regardless of their designation.</p>
<p>It was twilight now, soft lavender light shifting into deep indigo.  They’d be stopping soon at one of the several coaching inns that dotted the way between Jakku and Naboo.  Ben frowned.  He’d have to get a hold of something for her to wear tomorrow.  The soft moonlight poured through the window beside Rey, casting her in a gentle glow.  After Ben had sat back down, she’d tucked the stuffed rabbit back in her bag and pulled out a book, pointedly ignoring him.  The slim volume now rested limply between her fingers.  It fell to the floor with a soft clatter, and Ben bent forward to retrieve it for her.  He held it under the dim light of the carriage lamp and turned to the title page, wondering what a girl with hardly any possessions chose to read.  His eyes widened slightly in surprise.  The title was in Latin, the type small and centered, Epistolae.  Beneath that in French read Peter Abélard et Héloïse d’Argenteuil.  Flipping through, Ben realized it was a collection, both in French and Latin, of the letters between the medieval scholars and lovers Abelard and Heloise.  It was too dark to read any of the small type, so Ben closed the book and slipped it back into her valaise, closing the case quietly.  Ben looked at Rey in amazement.  Had she taught herself?  She must have, unless some incredibly enterprising servant had taught her.  Many Omegas weren’t even taught to read, much less in French and Latin.</p>
<p>“What is your story, Rey?”  he whispered to the dark.</p>
<p>As if in response, Rey let out a small sound and reached for his cloak that lay beside her.  She pulled the black garment over her curled form, tucking it close to her chin.  Even in the dark, Ben saw her slight smile as she inhaled deeply.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” she breathed.</p>
<p>Deciding to chance it, Ben moved over to sit beside her.  He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as lightly as he could.</p>
<p>“I’m here, Omega.  I’m here,” he murmured.  </p>
<p>He continued to watch over her, admiring the lines of her face in the moonlight, until the coach began to slow, finally coming to a stop outside a warmly lit coaching inn called The Wolf’s Den.  Ben listened as Finn jumped down from the driver’s seat, gravel crunching beneath his boots as he came to the door.  Finn opened it quietly and waited for Ben, who was rummaging in his pockets.  He took out a handful of coins and handed them to the young man.</p>
<p>“Go inside and secure a room for myself and Miss Jinn and quarters for you and William.  I want a hot bath drawn immediately, food for us all, and warm blankets in our room,” Ben ordered.  He paused a moment.  “And there should be enough coin there for you to barter with the barmaid for a clean dress and chemise.”</p>
<p>“My Lord?” Finn asked quietly, confused.</p>
<p>Ben looked pointedly at Rey.  Finn nodded in understanding and dashed off.  William appeared in Finn’s place, ready to assist.  Ben lifted the still sleeping Rey gingerly and maneuvered her very carefully into William’s outstretched arms before getting out himself.  He nodded to Rey’s bag and took her into his arms again, careful not to jostle her too much.  William grabbed the small bag and closed the door with a quiet snap.  Finn reappeared and grabbed Ben’s own valaise as well as Rey’s and followed them inside.  William drove the carriage behind the inn to the stables.  As Ben stepped over the threshold with Rey in his arms, the young woman sweeping the floor gave them a polite nod.  A jovial looking portly man met them inside and led them up the stairs to a door at the end of a hallway.  Ben was thankful most of the patrons had gone to sleep, so the inside was relatively quiet.  The proprietor rummaged around for the proper key in his worn apron, turning it in the lock and pushing open the door.  He set the key on a small table and made a swift exit.  Finn dashed in and set the bags down before leaving as well, bidding them a good night.  </p>
<p>Ben sighed.  The room looked rustic, but homey and comfortable.  A fire was glowing softly in the grate, and he could see the edge of a copper slipper tub behind a folding screen.  A large four poster bed stood in the middle of the room, heaped with quilts.  Ben settled Rey carefully on the bed and removed her shoes, a pair of plain cream silk slippers.  She refused to let go of his cloak, so Ben let her hang on to it.  He pulled one of the quilts over her, glad to see that they’d been warmed as he’d asked, and went to his bag to retrieve his toiletries.  He bathed quickly and as quietly as he could, using the cake of soap the inn had provided.  As he ran the soap over his neck, he winced and frowned.  The glands in his neck were more sensitive than they should be.  He touched one of the rough patches of skin experimentally, finding it warm to the touch.  He was sure it would be back to normal on the morrow.  It was probably a result of the brawl earlier and being around so many other Alphas.  He finished his bath and dried off with one of the rough cloth towels, wrapping it around his waist before walking around the screen.  </p>
<p>While he was replacing his articles in his case, he heard a soft knock on the door.  He stood to answer, but he was surprised to find that Rey was already there and talking to the young maid.  They murmured softly for a moment before Rey took a large tray from the girl and a bundle of clothes.  Rey closed the door and set the clothes down beside the key before walking to the small table and setting the tray down.  It was laden with bowls of stew, a small loaf of bread, and a hunk of cheese along with a small pitcher of water.  She looked up at him then, a blush coloring her cheeks as she took in his state of undress.  Ben smirked.</p>
<p>“Better bathe while the water’s still warm,” he said as he sat in one of the rickety chairs at the table.  The stew was good and hearty.  He split the bread and cheese, setting Rey’s portion by her bowl.</p>
<p>Rey was still looking at him warily, her fingers knotted together over her abdomen.  </p>
<p>Ben made a shooing motion with his hand.  “Go.  Food’s getting cold.  I won’t look,” he teased lowly.</p>
<p>Rey chewed her lip.  “I-I don’t have anything to put on,” she croaked.  </p>
<p>Ben nodded to the bundle of clothes as he chewed a bit of bread.  “Check there.”</p>
<p>Rey rushed over to the bundle and untied it.  Inside she found a simple blue buttoned dress, a delicate cotton chemise, and a plain nightgown.  Tucked discreetly inside the other articles was a clean pair of drawers and a short note scrawled on a spare bit of paper.</p>
<p>My Lady-<br/>I hope these things will bring you some comfort in your journey.</p>
<p>The note was unsigned.  Rey found herself tearing up at the sweetness of the gesture, and she tucked the note in the pocket of the dress.  She brought her hand over her mouth to stifle a small sob, tucking the nightgown close.  She turned to head behind the screen, but almost smacked into Ben.  He held her elbows to steady her, his breathing perhaps a bit more labored than it had been earlier.  Rey’s brow creased in confusion.  He seemed...different.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter?” he asked worriedly.</p>
<p>Rey shook her head.  “Nothing.  It’s nothing,” she reassured him.  She held up the nightgown.  “Found it!”</p>
<p>Ben let her go, with a bit of reluctance, Rey noticed.  She scurried behind the screen and undressed quickly, dropping her hair pins into a small bowl beside the bath.  She slipped into the tub and hissed as she sank into the still hot water.  She dunked her head under to wet her hair, and scrubbed herself good with the soap.  She whimpered quietly as she passed over her glands.  They were still sore, probably from the scratching.  An image flashed through her mind.  It wasn’t her hands rubbing the soap over her body, it was Ben’s.  Ben’s skilled fingers massaging her sore glands, not hers.  She bit her lip, hard, at the warm sensation that bloomed between her thighs and low in her stomach.  She shook her head to clear away the thoughts and quickly rinsed her hair.  When she was finished, the sensation was still there.  She didn’t know what to do with it, so she tried to ignore it.  She drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees.  Steam rose all around her, and the room was quiet, save for the crackle of the fire.</p>
<p>She heard the scrape of Ben’s chair and his cautious steps as he approached.  She held her knees tighter.  He came out from the other side of the screen and stared at her in that hungry way of his.  She looked up at him with tired eyes.</p>
<p>“You said you wouldn’t look,” she admonished quietly.</p>
<p>The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.  “You’re fairly well covered at the moment,” he replied as he knelt down beside the tub.  He reached out to smooth her wet hair.  To both of their surprise, Rey didn’t flinch this time.  </p>
<p>“You need to eat,” Ben said softly.</p>
<p>Rey nodded.  She was starving, but she had no desire to get out of the water, either.  Ben grabbed a towel from the stack nearby.  He reached out with it to start drying her hair.</p>
<p>“May I?” he asked.</p>
<p>Rey blinked at him.  She needed to forget everything she’d been taught about Alphas, apparently.  She nodded tentatively.  Ben dried her hair quickly, setting the wet towel on the floor when he was done.  He grabbed a fresh one and stood to hold it out for her.  He averted his eyes politely and shut them, allowing her the privacy she wanted.  She stood up carefully and stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in the proffered towel and drying herself roughly.  She slipped the nightgown over her head, surprised at the softness of the plain garment.  It was a bit large on her, but she wasn’t swimming in it.</p>
<p>“Okay,” she whispered.  She reached out with her fingers hesitatingly and touched his forearm lightly as she spoke.  In the stillness of the room, she heard his sharp intake of breath.  She withdrew her fingers immediately, thinking she’d overstepped, but Ben grabbed her hand and brought her fingers back to his arm.</p>
<p>“You’re allowed to touch me...Rey,” he growled pleasantly.  His warm amber eyes searched hers, and Rey gave a small nod.  She let him lead her to the table, and she tucked into the repast gratefully.  Ben studied her all the while, but Rey was too hungry to care.</p>
<p>“What have you been told about Alphas and Omegas?” Ben asked suddenly.</p>
<p>Rey sipped a bit of water before she answered.  “Omegas serve the Alpha, to whatever degree the Alpha demands,” she replied quietly.  This was dangerous.  She had to be careful with what she said.  She looked at him worriedly.  He smiled reassuringly and remained quiet, encouraging her to continue.</p>
<p>“We-we’re supposed to...help you through your...ruts,” she tripped over the filthy word, but she kept going.  “Have your children.  We don’t speak until spoken to.  We don’t address you.”  Rey paused and looked down at her lap, recalling something Lady Bazine had said often.  It seemed to sum things up nicely.  “We are yours to use.”</p>
<p>Rey could sense the anger in him, and her lower lip began to tremble, thinking he was angry with her for speaking so candidly.  He stood abruptly and turned his back to her, bracing his hands on the mantle.  Rey looked up and couldn’t help but admire the musculature of his back as he tensed and tried to relax.  She looked quickly back down when he turned back to face her.</p>
<p>“That’s what you were taught?” he asked incredulously, raking his hand through his hair.</p>
<p>Rey nodded again.</p>
<p>“No one told you about heats?  About what Alphas are supposed to do for their Omegas?”</p>
<p>She looked up at him in surprise.  He might as well have been speaking a foreign language to her.</p>
<p>He gave a wry laugh.  “Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath.  It was worse than he suspected.  “Do you at least know what a heat is?  You told me you’ve never had one.  Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“It’s-it’s something Omegas go through once or twice a year.  It’s shameful, and an Omega isn’t supposed to be around other people then,” Rey stammered. </p>
<p>Ben looked at her in disbelief.  Rey continued, “I guess now I’m not sure.  The Earl and Countess locked me in a dark room once maybe a year or so ago.  They told me I had something catching, but that it meant I was ready for The Ceremony.”  Rey shuddered as she thought back.  She held her arms tight across her chest.  “I can’t remember much.  I just remember hurting,” she finished quietly.  She pushed the tray away.  She wasn’t hungry anymore.  </p>
<p>“Rey,” Ben began.  Rey looked up at him, and he crossed his arms over his broad chest.  “You have been grossly misinformed.”</p>
<p>“Wh-what do you mean?”</p>
<p>He approached her slowly and knelt beside her chair.  He took her hand in his and gently ran his thumb over her knuckles.  Her blood warmed a little and she relaxed against the back of her chair.</p>
<p>“Let me start by saying that you are not mine to use.  Or, if you are, then the reverse is true as well.”</p>
<p>“I don’t understand.”</p>
<p>“Let me finish, and I think you will.  At least a little better, anyway.  I also need you to know that I will never, ever, raise a hand to you.  I know you don’t believe me, but I hope someday you will trust me enough to realize that it’s true.”  She was looking at him skeptically.  He didn’t say it aloud, but he also wanted to find everyone who had ever hurt her and make them pay.  Dearly.  But, first things first.</p>
<p>“The job of an Omega is to help her Alpha through his ruts, yes.  But, perhaps more importantly, it’s also an Alpha’s job to see his Omega through her heats.  He is supposed to take care of her, just, period.  That’s my job, as an Alpha, as a husband, whatever.  To take care of you.  Heats and ruts aren’t shameful.  It was borderline criminal the way you were treated during your heat.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful an Alpha wasn’t brought in to see you through it, but you shouldn’t have been treated that way.  And it is definitely unforgiveable the way you’ve been treated for what I assume has been the majority of your life.”</p>
<p>Ben held her hand tighter and gave it a little shake.  “Rey, you are an Omega.  You are rare, and you are precious.  Especially to me.  I need you to understand that.”</p>
<p>Tears welled in Rey’s eyes.  He was looking at her so earnestly, and the words he was saying were so tender.  So heartfelt.  Rey looked down into her lap and let the tears fall.  She had never known such kindness.</p>
<p>Ben straightened up to hold her in his arms, and Rey allowed it.  She allowed him to comfort her.  His soothing scent filled her nose again, and she welcomed the safe feeling that came with it, sighing against the warm skin and muscle of his chest.  One of his hands came up slowly to the side of her head, his fingers carding carefully through her damp hair, working out the tangles and knots.  After a few moments, he pulled her off the chair and guided her behind the privacy screen again to a stand with a pitcher and creamware bowl.  He sprinkled some tooth powder on two brushes and handed one to her.  They brushed and rinsed in silence, and Rey went to the edge of the bed while Ben snuffed the fire.  Ben removed the towel from his waist and hung it to dry, and Rey blushed fiercely when she turned and saw that he was totally naked beneath it.  She quickly burrowed beneath the covers and hid her flaming face in the pillow, hoping he hadn’t seen.  She was suddenly very warm, and she kicked some of the blankets away.  She stilled when she felt the downy mattress sink beside her, Ben crawling in to join her.</p>
<p>“You’ve had a long day,” he rumbled softly.  He turned the bedside lamp down until it was almost out.  “You’re safe from any amorous advances.  For now,” he added playfully.</p>
<p>With that assurance, Rey sank quickly into sleep, welcoming the darkness like an old friend.</p>
<p>For once, Rey slept the whole night through, deeply and well.  Her eyes cracked open sometime around dawn, if the soft pink glow from the small window was any indication.  A few maids were bustling silently around the room, lighting the fire, removing the dishes from the night before, and emptying and packing away the slipper tub.  They were in and out quickly, and Rey fell back asleep, vaguely aware of Ben’s warm weight behind her, his heavy arm thrown across her middle.</p>
<p>This time, however, restful sleep was elusive.  Ben’s scent was everywhere, filling her nose, her mind, her mouth.  She dreamed of flashing images of skin and teeth and lips and hands, of bodies intertwined.  She felt herself thrashing beneath the blankets, her body overheated and covered in a sheen of sweat.  She felt an unfamiliar slickness between her thighs, and she moaned softly as she rubbed them together, desperate, for something, anything, to ease the tension there.</p>
<p>Ben stirred beside her, half awake but still sensing her need.  She smelled exquisite, the scent going right to his head and his cock.  The hand at her waist drifted hot and heavy down her thigh to grasp the hem of the nightgown, pulling it higher.  Ben slipped his hand between her thighs, and he purred deep in his chest at the wetness he found there.  He pressed his lips softly to her neck, his tongue laving at her scent gland.  Rey whimpered and moaned, her hand coming down to rest over his, guiding him to the apex of her thighs where she needed him.  Ben continued to kiss her neck as he parted her slicks folds, causing her to arch back against him.  He groaned at the feeling of her brushing his erection, and he began to rut  against her backside, not hard, not insistent, just enough to get the friction he needed.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” she moaned, the sound muffled against her pillow.</p>
<p>“Shh, Little Omega.  I’ve got you,” Ben murmured against her skin.  He stroked her soaked sex gently, murmuring praises softly against her gland.  Ben was enraptured by her, desperate to give her a taste of what she’d so far been denied.</p>
<p>Rey keened and fisted her pillow tightly as he began to rub her silken peak with his thumb as his fingers continued stroking.  She felt more wetness coat his fingers and she whimpered, her entire existence focused on where he was currently pleasuring her.</p>
<p>Ben groaned again, rutting harder against her this time.  “Good, Little Omega.  So wet for your Alpha.”</p>
<p>“Need more, Alpha.  Please,”  Rey begged quietly.  She tried to still her hips when she realized she was grinding wantonly against his hand, but Ben nipped her.  She yelped as loud as she dared.  </p>
<p>“I’ll give you what you need, Omega, but I want you to take what you want,” he growled. </p>
<p>Red faced, Rey nodded into her pillow and began writhing her hips again, chasing the pleasure she desired.  Ben dipped one of his fingers further between her and swirled it against her entrance.</p>
<p>“Yes, there, Alpha,” she sobbed.</p>
<p>Ben pressed gently into her tight channel, moaning when he felt her wet heat.  Rey keened again, the sound giving way to gasping sobs as he began to thrust his long finger in and out again and again, teaching her the rhythm.</p>
<p>“That’s it, Little Omega.  Just like that.  So perfect,” Ben praised.</p>
<p>It was all too much.  Too much sensation, she felt like she was on fire.  She was going to burst, she was sure of it.  Then, Ben’s finger brushed some place inside her and Rey felt herself shatter into a million pieces.  Her mouth fell open in a silent scream, and she shuddered with her release, intimate muscles trying to pull him further into her.  Ben pressed hot open mouthed kisses along her neck and shoulder as he coaxed her down from her climax, staying with her until her shaking subsided.  When she eventually went limp and boneless, Ben withdrew his finger and pushed her on to her front.  He straddled her and tugged her nightgown up until it was practically bunched around her shoulders.  </p>
<p>Rey tried to get up from beneath him, but he pushed her back down to the mattress with one hand, his hand trailing down the skin of her bare back.  </p>
<p>“Ben, Alpha, no, please don’t!” she begged.  She heard him working himself roughly.  She wasn’t ready; she began to panic.</p>
<p>“I know, Rey.  I know.  Hush, be still.  Let me just...finish this way.  Please,” he asked in a pleading voice, his voice thick and slurred.  The rough sound of skin on skin stopped.</p>
<p>When Rey realized what he meant, and she sank slowly back to the mattress.   She could do that.  She nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes, Alpha,” she whispered, relaxing back into her warm haze.  She listened to him start working himself again and she closed her eyes, satiated and pleased he had listened to her.</p>
<p>His breathing was heavy, their combined scents strong in the small room.  He groaned softly and reached out to slowly run his fingers along her glowing skin.</p>
<p>“You’re so soft.  Omega, I’m so close,” he purred.  He just needed… “Look at me,” he commanded.</p>
<p>Rey looked over her shoulder at him, and Ben’s head fell back.  Her eyes were heavy lidded, unfocused, and the pupils still blown wide.  Her mouth was a beautiful deep pink.  He released with a low keening sound, his spend coating the soft skin of her back, hot and thick.  Rey shivered beneath him.  Ben heaved and panted as he came down from his own high.  He climbed off the bed carefully, Rey keeping still, while he fetched one of the towels from last night.  He cleaned her up carefully, whispering soft endearments and praises.  He tossed it and grabbed another before crawling back into the bed and wrapping himself carefully in the cloth.  It was rougher than he would have liked, but he was not going to make a mess of the strange bed, himself, or Rey.  He rolled onto his side and tugged Rey’s nightgown back down, taking a moment to appreciate the curve of her bottom.</p>
<p>“You said you wouldn’t look,” she mumbled, turning her head to look at him.</p>
<p>He laughed softly.  “I said that last night.  I have made no such promise today,” he said as he smoothed her hair back.</p>
<p>Rey smiled and closed her eyes, humming thoughtfully as she fell back asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Journey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Rey, time to get up,” Ben murmured.</p>
<p>Rey felt him sitting beside her on the bed, his fingers combing slowly through her hair.  It was nice.  This was nice.  Her eyelids fluttered open to see him gazing fondly at her.</p>
<p>She pushed herself up off the mattress to sit beside him.  Something inside her wanted to hang on to the intimacy of the moment, the feeling of them both in this small room hidden away from the world.  Before she could overthink it, Rey leaned into Ben’s side and rested her head on his shoulder.  She felt the cool linen of his coat on her cheek, but she could smell him even beneath that, and she sighed.  She took one of Ben’s large hands experimentally in hers, running her fingers across the skin.  His hands were clean, the nails cut ruthlessly short, and quite callused for a nobleman.  Apparently, his time was not spent idle like most.</p>
<p>Ben was pleasantly surprised.  He tried to refrain from acting too outwardly enthused, not wanting to startle her.  Rey intertwined their fingers loosely, studying them for a moment before he spoke.</p>
<p>“Happy?” he whispered.  Only the faintest hint of fear remained in her scent.  The Alpha in Ben preened.</p>
<p>Rey was quiet for a moment before she answered.  “Content,” she replied softly before getting off of the bed to dress and freshen up.</p>
<p>Ben could accept that.  He watched as she grabbed the fresh clothes from the table and made her way behind the screen, slipping the chemise and dress on quickly.  She came out a few moments later, and Ben had to smile.  The simple light blue dress was perhaps a hair too large for her, the neckline a bit wider than was typically acceptable, a bit too low.  It was a garment made for someone a little curvier, but Ben thought Rey looked radiant all the same.  Rey clutched a handful of hairpins in her fist, and she frowned at them.</p>
<p>“Do you have a comb?” she asked, her cheeks pinkening slightly.  </p>
<p>Ben nodded.  He motioned for her to sit back on the bed as he went to get the comb from his bag.  She reached for the instrument, but Ben shook his head.</p>
<p>“Let me.”  He sat back down behind her and began to work the blunt porcelain teeth through her hair, tugging gently when he found knots and snarls.  He watched as gooseflesh prickled the back of her neck and he smirked.  Curious to see what she’d do, he angled his head closer and tugged some of the chestnut strands away from her neck and brushed a kiss lightly against the nape.  He felt the shiver chase up her spine, the warmth blooming beneath his lips.  Rey took a shaking breath, but she didn’t tense or flinch or move away.  In fact, Ben felt her head tilt a few millimeters forward, almost as if she was offering herself to him.</p>
<p>“You like this, don’t you, Omega?”  he asked, his voice a hair deeper than normal.</p>
<p>“Yes.  Alpha,” Rey said quietly as she tried not to move.  Ben returned to his work, though he longed to keeping kissing her velvet skin.  They had to get back on the road.  Ben frowned slightly as a deep clawing sensation took root in his body.  It was screaming at him, insisting they needed to get back.  Rationally, Ben knew there was no rush.  The estate was in good hands with Mitaka, and his tenants knew they could go to the kind hearted but efficient man with any issues.  Ben trusted him to take care of things should he be away for a few days.  He was meticulous and made copious notes for Ben.  Still, the feeling was there, primal and insistent.</p>
<p>When Ben finished with the comb, he ran his fingers through the warm strands, pleased with his work.  He began to plait and twist it for her, asking for a pin every so often.  He was no ladies maid, but he’d done it for his mother quite often as a child, and he thought he’d done a passable job.  She’d never said anything to the contrary.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Rey said with a smile when he’d finished.</p>
<p>He nodded and picked up their bags in one hand, holding his other out to her.  Rey took his arm gratefully, and they headed out of the room together.</p>
<p>Once they were settled back in his coach and on the road again, Ben relaxed somewhat.  Rey still seemed hesitant to sit close beside him, so she took the seat opposite him again.  She rummaged in her small bag for a minute or two before pulling out the slim volume she’d been reading yesterday.  She glanced out the window for a moment before turning to him.  Ben watched as she worried her lower lip with her teeth, the flesh soft looking and pink.  His mouth watered slightly.</p>
<p>“How long until we reach Theed Park?”  Rey asked.</p>
<p>Ben cleared his throat.  “A few hours yet,” he replied, his voice coarse.</p>
<p>“Are you all right?”  Her expression was soft, worried.</p>
<p>“Yes.  Fine.  I’m fine.”  Something deep in Ben’s stomach twisted in pleasure at her concerned demeanor.  The Omega wants to care for her Alpha, the pleasured sensation seemed to say.</p>
<p>Holding her book against her lap, Rey rose slightly and moved beside him.  She kept a respectable distance between them, but she angled her knees towards his.  She sat with her back straight, her long legs crossed elegantly at the ankles beneath her skirt.  Suddenly feeling overwarm, Ben leaned back against the plush bench and closed his eyes.  Maybe he was falling ill.</p>
<p>“Read to me,” he said, his tone only slightly commanding.</p>
<p>“I don’t think you’ll find this very interesting.  It’s just a book of letters in Latin and French.”</p>
<p>Ben’s eyelids drifted open, and he looked at her askance.  “They’re letters between two of history’s most famous and doomed lovers.  I’d hardly call that uninteresting.  And I know both French and Latin.  I’m curious how you know.  You could tell me that story instead if you wish.”</p>
<p>Ben sensed her bristling, throwing up her walls.  He was about to regret asking when she spoke up quietly, but with an air of finality.  “I taught myself,” she said, her tone one of warning.  </p>
<p>That was all he was going to get, apparently.  As an Alpha, he knew he could make her tell him, but her answer satisfied him for now.  “Read the French,” he muttered, closing his eyes again and leaning his head back.</p>
<p>Rey began to read, her voice pleasant and lyrical.  As she finished one of his favorite lines, Ben fell asleep, contemplating the centuries old words of Heloise to Abelard:</p>
<p>S'il y a quelque chose qui puisse être appelé à proprement parler de bonheur ici-bas, je suis persuadé que c'est dans l'union de deux personnes qui s'aiment parfaitement, qui s'unissent par une inclination secrète et se satisfont du mérite de l'autre; leur cœur est rempli et ne laisse aucune place vacante à aucune autre passion; ils jouissent d'une tranquillité perpétuelle, car ils aiment le contenu.</p>
<p>He awoke some time later with a pounding headache.  He groaned and leaned forward, bracing his hands against his knees.  Rey was still beside him, leaning against the wall of the coach.  She had been asleep, but his groaning caused her to startle awake.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter?” she asked, her voice slightly panicked.</p>
<p>Ben shook his head.  He wasn’t entirely sure himself.  Rey poured him a bit of water, handing him the cool glass gingerly.  Ben drank, welcoming the cool liquid, but it did little to help.  Rey took the glass from him and helped him to another before replacing the glass in the cupboard.  She fidgeted nervously for a moment, watching him with concern in her eyes, before she reached out haltingly.  She took him by the shoulders and carefully guided his head to her lap, cradling him in her arms.  She ran her fingers through his soft hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp.</p>
<p>Ben moaned needily, grabbing her knee with his free hand.  She smelled exquisite, divine.  He could still smell traces of her arousal from earlier in the day, hints of himself.  He moaned again, the sound low and almost desperate.  He fisted her skirt tightly in his hand.  This couldn’t be the start of his rut.  It just couldn’t be.  It had never been this bad.</p>
<p>Rey continued to stroke his hair, her fingers cool against his skin.  Her fingers trembled slightly, Ben noticed.  </p>
<p>“What-what do you need, Alpha?” she asked, a slight tremor of fear in her voice.  </p>
<p>He gripped her knee tighter.  “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”</p>
<p>He felt her nod.  He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to breathe evenly.  Every scratch, every gentle tug felt magnified tenfold.  A purring sound issued from deep in his chest at the warm pleasurable feeling suffusing his blood.  Rey’s fingers stilled, and Ben bit back a growl.  His eyelids flew open when he felt her lean over him.</p>
<p>“Hush, Alpha,” Rey murmured softly.  Her fingers brushed slowly and ever so lightly over the hot skin of the gland in his neck, and Ben began to pant.</p>
<p>“Rey,” he almost whined.  As it was, it was a warning.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry!” she cried softly.  “It’s just...you smell so good,” she whispered faintly.</p>
<p>Ben smiled and huffed a laugh.  “So do you.”  That was an understatement.</p>
<p>Rey kept her fingers far away from his neck, and they were quiet for a few moments.  Ben’s voice was as quiet and as gentle as he could make it when he spoke again.  “I’m sorry, Rey.  I didn’t expect...this so soon.”</p>
<p>“What’s ‘this?’” she asked, confusion evident in her tone of voice.</p>
<p>“My rut.”  </p>
<p>Rey stopped stroking his hair.  She inhaled sharply.  Ben kept his eyes resolutely forward, his mouth a grim line.  She was shaking like a leaf, presumably with fear.  It was the only thing keeping him restrained.  She wasn’t ready for this.  That was fine.  They were almost home.  He gone through ruts alone before.  Never one this bad, but that was beside the point.</p>
<p>“Rey, you should move back over there,” Ben muttered, rising stiffly to a sitting position. </p>
<p>She didn’t move.  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked shyly.</p>
<p>Ben breathed a laugh and looked out the window.  He could think of several things she could do.  His cock twitched in his trousers, and Ben shut his eyes tightly.  Her scent was intoxicating.  A vision of Rey on her knees before him flooded his mind, and he couldn’t suppress a groan.  He palmed himself roughly, unable to stop.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” Rey breathed softly.  “Let me help you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Instinct</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey figured it was the Omega in her, making her act and speak so boldly.  She was overwhelmed with the urge to soothe the Alpha.  Her Alpha.  Although, if she was honest, she had to admit her urge couldn’t entirely be attributed to instinct.  Ben, Lord Ky’loren had shown her nothing but kindness and patience since she’d met him.  He treated the two servants with them with dignity and respect.  He seemed a good man.  And, Rey blushed to think it, the sensations he’d helped her feel.  She very much wanted to feel them again.</p>
<p>As she watched Ben stare resolutely out the window, she realized she had no idea what to do.  Her guardians, if they could even be called that, had told her that the Alpha who won her would simply take what he wanted.  She was just supposed to lie there and let him.  Rey regarded him empathetically.  The good man and the Alpha were fighting inside him, fighting for dominance.  She could see it in the hard lines of his face, the tense muscles beneath his clothes, and, Rey blushed harder, the bulge in his trousers.  He groaned, almost in pain, and let his hand drift to that bulge.  Instinct took hold of her.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” she whispered.  “Let me help you.”</p>
<p>Ben’s eyes shot to hers.  His normally warm brandy colored eyes were entirely consumed by black.  His plush mouth was an almost indecent shade of pink.  His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply, taking in her scent, she knew.  She wondered if she smelled different to him.  Rey inched closer to his side, hesitating for only a moment before she hitched up her skirt and swung one of her legs over his lap so she was straddling him.  His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breath coming in shallow pants.  She took his face gingerly between her hands, holding his gaze.  There was a dangerous look in his eyes, but rather than fear, Rey felt a familiar yet still new sensation low in her stomach.  Her lips parted involuntarily.  She could almost taste his scent on her tongue, and she sighed audibly.  Ben’s hands tightened at her waist, holding her securely on his lap.  She felt hardness pressing against her center, and she bit her lip.  It felt good, even through all the layers of their clothes.  She rolled her hips a little, and they both gasped.</p>
<p>“Omega,” Ben growled.  Rey moaned softly at his tone, deep and commanding.  “We can’t do this here.”</p>
<p>Rey silenced him when she leaned forward and began to nuzzle his neck, but on some level she knew he was right.  She mouthed his gland carefully, her hands sliding into his thick hair and gripping tight.  She hummed with deep satisfaction when he began to thrust his hips upwards. Her mouth watered and she began to pant at the sensation building in her core.  She felt wet heat between her legs again, and she pressed against him harder.</p>
<p>“Oh God, Alpha,” she moaned.  She stretched her neck to bury her nose in his hair and rubbed her gland to his, scenting him roughly.  Ben was growling with primal need, his hands suddenly everywhere.</p>
<p>“You’re wet for me, aren’t you little Omega?” he purred deep in his throat.</p>
<p>Rey gave a panting nod, her hips now moving almost of their own accord.</p>
<p>“Show me,” he commanded darkly.</p>
<p>One of Rey’s hands left his hair, and she thrust it beneath her skirt.  She found the opening of her drawers and touched herself experimentally.  A pleasured groan fell from her lips when she parted her folds, finding herself slick and soaked.  She stroked her slit slowly, trying to remember how he’d done it that morning.</p>
<p>“I’m so wet, Alpha,” she whimpered, her fingers finding the tight bundle of nerves he’d worked so skillfully several hours before.  She let out a soft cry first of pleasure, then of anguish when Ben pulled her hand from her.  She watched wide eyed as he brought her coated fingers to his lips and cleaned them one by one.  His eyes almost rolled back into his skull as he did so, like he was getting drunk off of her.</p>
<p>“You taste so good, Omega,” he said silkily.  “Get on your knees.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Alpha,” Rey murmured, obeying readily.  She knelt carefully on the floor of the coach, using his cloak to cushion her knees.  She held her hands in her lap, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted.  Her core was throbbing, but she was patient.</p>
<p>Ben caressed her cheek softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before he leaned back with his arms spread along the back of the seat, his knees wide.  His eyes were like dark glittering obsidian as he looked at her.  With his dark eyes, his mussed dark hair, his pale skin, Rey thought him reminiscent of Hades seated on his throne.  Perhaps that made her Persephone.  She wondered how she looked to him.  She placed her hands on his knees, sitting up as she coasted them closer to his middle.  She felt strong muscle beneath the soft fabric of his trousers.  She felt it tense as she reached his hips.  Rey smiled.  Her Alpha was strong.  She toyed with the band, searching idly for the placket of buttons.</p>
<p>“Is this what you want, Alpha?” she asked quietly.  </p>
<p>“Oh yes, little Omega.  I want you to take me in your sweet mouth, and I want you to touch yourself while you do it.  Can you do that for me?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Alpha.”  Rey glanced up at him worriedly.  He couldn’t knot her mouth.  Could he?  She didn’t think she could handle that.</p>
<p>As if reading her mind, Ben leaned forward, wincing slightly.  He held her cheek in one hand and rubbed his thumb over the crest of her burning cheek.  “Don’t worry, little love.  I won’t knot you this way,” he whispered reassuringly.</p>
<p>Rey blinked in surprise at the endearment.  He didn’t seem to realize he’d said it, so Rey gave a small smile and nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to his palm.  “Thank you, Alpha.”</p>
<p>It was Ben’s turn to blink in surprise.  Rey held his eyes with hers as she kissed his palm again, letting her lips drift to the small gland in his wrist.  She let his hand go and her nimble fingers went to work on the buttons of his trousers.  His arousal made it difficult to get them unfastened, but she managed quickly, all things considered.  Rey inhaled sharply as his cock sprang free.  Rey knew Alphas were supposed to be large, but she hadn’t been expecting anything quite like this.  She reached out with her fingers and began to run them up and down his length slowly.  Ben’s breathing became more labored, but he let her continue her exploration.  The skin was softer than she expected.  Silky almost.  She felt flesh and blood twitch and throb beneath her fingers, and something pearly and white was leaking from the tip.</p>
<p>“As much as you can, Omega,” Ben began to say.  He gave a low shout of pleasure when she abruptly took the tip into her mouth, licking up the leaking fluid eagerly.  Rey moaned around him as she tasted him, his scent.  His hands were suddenly in her hair, loosening it from the pins.  She took as much of his length into her mouth as she could, frustrated that she couldn’t get all of him.  She bobbed up and down a few times experimentally, trying to get used to the feel of him filling her.  She felt Ben’s fingers brush her stretched lips as he wrapped his hand around the base and began to work what she couldn’t reach.</p>
<p>“Touch yourself,” he growled with a pant.</p>
<p>Rey hummed in acknowledgment and pushed her fingers beneath her skirt again, finding her clit more easily this time.  She worked herself slowly, struggling to stay focused on what she was doing to Ben with her mouth. Ben was groaning and panting roughly as she moaned and hummed around him.  Rey’s hips twitched and writhed almost of their own accord as the desire built low in her core.  She released Ben’s cock with a wet pop to kiss and nuzzle the sensitive tip.  </p>
<p>“Alpha?” she panted.  She felt overwhelmed and more than a little confused.  “Alpha, I can’t do both.”  Rey was ashamed at her whining tone.  The Omega in her was wailing with despair.  She couldn’t obey her Alpha.  He would be displeased.</p>
<p>Instead of being angry, Ben hauled her into his lap to hold her and purred deeply, the vibrations coming from his chest soothing her instantly.  Rey had read in an old book somewhere that an Alpha’s purr could soothe an Omega, but she had assumed it wasn’t true.  Old medieval folderol long since debunked by more modern minds.</p>
<p>“I shouldn’t have asked so much of you,” Ben murmured against the gland in her neck.  Rey tilted her head back to let Ben kiss and lick the column of her throat.  His fingers slipped between her legs to her wet hot core, and he began to stroke her gently.  Rey moaned softly, almost in thanks, as his thick fingers began to coax her higher and higher.  She parted her thighs an inch or two, wriggling her hips to bring his fingers closer to her entrance.  Ben pressed a heated kiss to her sternum and slipped one long digit into her, groaning with pleasure.</p>
<p>“So perfect,” Ben hummed against her skin.  “That’s it, Little Omega.  Come for your Alpha.”</p>
<p>He added another finger, stretching her slightly, and Rey keened as loudly as she dared, her back arching slightly.  Ben raked his teeth softly across her scent gland down her shoulder, and Rey sobbed quietly as she felt herself convulse around his fingers and coat his hand with slick.  She whimpered and mewled as Ben brought her back to earth, withdrawing his hand when she finally calmed.  She slid like a puddle out of his lap and back to her knees, eager to please her Alpha who had so pleased her.  She took him into her mouth again, pleased she was able to take him deeper now that she felt more relaxed.  Ben moaned and panted, and Rey could hear him cleaning his fingers lewdly.  His muscles tensed, and his fist tightened in her hair.  </p>
<p>“Omega!” he cried as he released, his thick spend coating her mouth and tongue.  Rey hummed with pleasure at the taste of him, much like his scent, yet somehow different.  She lapped him up judiciously, carefully as he twitched and softened beneath her lips and fingers.  She tucked him back into his trousers and sleepily fastened the buttons before Ben pulled her back up.  He reclined against the seat and pulled her over him, holding her close. </p>
<p>Rey looked up at him timidly.  His eyes were heavy lidded, his plush mouth relaxed.  Rey reached up and stroked his still burning cheek.</p>
<p>“Did-did I please you, Alpha?” she asked shakily.</p>
<p>Ben took her cheek in his own hand and tilted her face up more to his.  “Oh yes, Omega.”</p>
<p>Rey smiled and craned her neck a little higher.  Ben smiled back at her, a slightly bemused expression on his face.  She felt him blink in slight shock when she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his, giving him a gentle kiss.</p>
<p>Ben broke the kiss with a contented sigh.  “You please me very much,” he whispered before he took her mouth again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Perfect Dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben sensed the Omega instinct to soothe and comfort had taken root as Rey snuggled close to his chest.  He held her as tightly as he could, the Alpha instinct to sleep after a release just as strong.  Rey tutted and clucked her tongue quietly, something making her unhappy as she shifted and rearranged.  Before he knew it, his head was back in Rey’s lap, her fingers twisted in his hair.  He turned his head so he was facing her stomach, and he hummed with deep satisfaction.  Her scent was stronger this way, and he nuzzled into her stomach to try and get closer.</p>
<p>“I’m going to enjoy knotting you, Omega,” he mumbled.  He knew it was an indecent thing to say, but he couldn’t help it this close to full rut.  </p>
<p>Rey’s face flamed as she stroked his hair and neck, Ben could feel it, but her fingers no longer trembled.</p>
<p>“Hush, Alpha,” she murmured kindly as she bent forward and kissed his temple.</p>
<p>Ben huffed a sigh and wrapped his arms tighter around her waist as she continued to soothe him with her hands.  Ben was reluctant to admit it, but he was enjoying this new intimacy he’d found with Rey.  He’d never been one for closeness, but he liked being close with her.  </p>
<p>Ben’s eyes drifted closed as Rey began to hum and sing softly:<br/>Oh ro soon shall I see them<br/>Oh he ro see them oh see them<br/>Oh ro soon shall I see them<br/>The mist covered mountains of home.<br/>There shall I visit the place of my birth<br/>They’ll give me a welcome the warmest on earth<br/>So loving and kind full of music and mirth<br/>The sweet sounding language of home</p>
<p>Ben raised his head in slight surprise.  He’d heard that tune somewhere before.  Someone humming under their breath, perhaps while they’d worked.  A fuzzy image tickled the back of Ben’s mind, familiar yet just out of reach.  “Where did you hear that song?”</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Rey asked, her head slightly tilted as she eased his head back down to her lap.</p>
<p>“That song.  Where did you hear it?”  It wasn’t a common one, and he was sure none of the “fine” families she’d been forced to live with had sung it to her.  </p>
<p>He felt her shrug her shoulders nonchalantly.  It was almost too casual.  “Where does anyone hear anything like that?  Just something you pick up here and there.”  </p>
<p>Ben scoffed.  “That’s how one learns something like Ring a Ring o’ Roses, not a traditional Gaelic folk song.”</p>
<p>Rey’s fingers stilled.  Ben could tell she was having some internal debate with herself, deciding what or what not to tell him.  He kept silent and rubbed her hip reassuringly.  Eventually, she sighed deeply and when she spoke, it was barely above a whisper.  “When I was very small, I used to live with several other children.  One of my friends, I called him Dottie, would sing it to us.  He said he learned it from his grandfather.”</p>
<p>“What happened to Dottie?” Ben asked quietly.</p>
<p>“Snatchers…,” Rey cut herself off.  “He disappeared one day.”</p>
<p>Being a man of high birth, Ben wasn’t entirely familiar with the vocabulary used by the urban indigent.  He had, however, heard the term Snatcher used once or twice by his servants and tenants that had come from the streets.  In the context they’d used it, Snatchers were men and women who went about finding and grabbing homeless children for one purpose or another.  If Rey knew the term, then that meant…</p>
<p>“I was a child on the streets of Niima.  I was five years old when Lord and Lady Netal grabbed me.  Someone found out what I was, and they...they,” Rey shook her head, refusing to say more.</p>
<p>Ben sat up and pulled Rey into his arms.  She was shaking with the effort to hold back her tears and clutching his coat tightly.  He rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her.  He had no idea things were this bad, and he tried not to despair at the overwhelming dark feeling that engulfed his mind.  Maybe he should talk with his mother.  She might have some ideas about how to help.  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and murmured, “I’m so sorry, Rey.”</p>
<p>She heaved a watery sigh and gave a wry laugh.  “It wasn’t all bad after that.  I learned quickly that as long as I kept quiet, they’d leave me alone.  I was ignored, mostly, so that gave me a lot of time to read.  That’s how I taught myself different languages.  Lord and Lady Netal and then the Earl and Lady of Jakku had libraries of books for decoration.  Status symbols they called them.  I’d sneak piles of books to my room and pretend I was somewhere else.”</p>
<p>Ben had heard that was a trend among other members of the peerage.  His mother and uncle had refused to buy into that trend, though.  The library at Theed Park was massive, but that was because his family was actually interested in the material and his ancestors had been able to afford it.  Ben had always been partial to the books on warfare and battle tactics.  He couldn’t wait to show Rey.  After.</p>
<p>“You should rest, Ben,” Rey said after a moment.</p>
<p>“So should you.  We’ll be home soon,” he promised.  </p>
<p>Rey shivered in his arms and held his coat tighter.</p>
<p>When Rey awoke, it was to a light tapping on the carriage door.  She was still in Ben’s arms, and the knock hadn’t woken him.  She carefully maneuvered off of his lap and opened the door.  Finn and William were just outside it, looking at her with carefully neutral expressions.  They must be able to sense it, Rey thought.  She felt herself blush lightly, but she kept her tone as impassive as their faces when she spoke.</p>
<p>“Lord Ky’loren has taken...ill,” she said quietly.  “Is there someone who could help him to his chambers?”</p>
<p>Finn rushed forward.  “Of course!  If you’ll allow me,” the young man insisted.</p>
<p>Rey stepped out of the coach to let Finn inside and nearly lost her breath.  The comforting smell of hay, tack, and horses greeted her, the gentle chuffing and snorting of around a dozen hitting her ears.  They were obviously in the stables of Theed Park, but they were the most meticulously well kept stables Rey had ever seen.  The cavernous space was warm and well lit, the light colored well polished wood practically glowing.  Instead of earth beneath her feet, the entire enclosure seemed to be paved with smooth stone.  Harnesses and saddles of different colors of leather hung from hooks on the far wall, bits and bridles hung nearby.  Rey approached one of the team of four that had pulled their coach and reached out tentatively.  The large beast chuffed, his breath hot against her fingers, his large brown eye mellow and kind as it looked at her.  Rey smiled and patted his broad neck, and she laughed when he tossed his magnificent head, tickling her with his mane.  He snuffled her face, and Rey rubbed his nose affectionately.</p>
<p>“That’s Orion,” William said amiably as he came around to unhitch the horses.</p>
<p>“Who are the others?” Rey asked.</p>
<p>“Bellerophon, Cadmus, and Sirius,” William replied.  </p>
<p>He was about to continue when he closed his mouth quickly and bowed, averting his gaze as he backed away.  A nervous trill chased up Rey’s spine, and she swore she heard a low snarling sound behind her, reminiscent of a wolf or a lion.  She bit her lip and turned slowly around to see Ben staring at her with his obsidian eyes.  Bereft of his coat and only in his shirtsleeves and trousers, he seemed larger, somehow.  A large man in a cavernous space surrounded by horses.  Rey suddenly felt small and felt herself shrinking further, averting her gaze from the powerful Alpha before her.  She held her arms across her middle, gripping her elbows tight.  He closed the distance between them, his steps graceful and almost predatory.  Rey looked left and right, but William and Finn were gone from sight and even the horses were silent and still.  Ben reached out and held the side of her neck in his hand, his palm hot over her scent gland.  Rey whimpered as he slid his hand into the mess of her hair, pulling it so her neck was exposed, vulnerable.  She heard him inhale deeply, and she sighed as a wave of his aroused scent engulfed her.</p>
<p>“Omega,” he growled before he ran the flat of his tongue over her gland and up the length of her neck.</p>
<p>Rey let out a mewling moan and grasped at his arm.  The muscle was taut and tense beneath her fingers, the skin warm.  The touch of her fingers to his bare skin seemed to galvanize him, and Rey found herself off the ground and in his arms before she could blink.  She looped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, taking deep greedy breaths as he carried her across a large gravel courtyard.  She closed her eyes so she couldn’t see any of her surroundings, wanting to simply be wrapped in his arms and his scent.  There’d be time enough to see everything when this was all over.  She listened as his boot heels clicked over marble, as stairs creaked beneath their weight, as everything grew muffled and quiet in carpeted hallways.  </p>
<p>Ben nudged a heavy door open with his shoulder, and Rey finally opened her eyes.  They were in a dark sitting room, heavy drapes pulled closed over large windows.  A large marble fireplace stood dark on one wall, flanked by two massive blood red velvet chairs.  A table of dark mahogany stood between the chairs, a variety of crystal decanters arranged in the middle.  A large desk of intricately carved wood was placed between two of the curtained windows, parchment, quills, and inkwells arranged precisely.  Ben carried her through another door into what could only be his bedroom.  His scent was everywhere here, softer and mixed with cloth and leather and down.  A massive ebony four poster bed stood in the middle of the room, neatly made and covered with soft looking light colored linens.  There was more deep red velvet and dark wood here, the dressing table and armoire simple but heavy looking.  Everything looked heavy to Rey.  Another door stood open at the opposite end, and Rey could see a bit of light colored tile.  She knew some wealthier families had outfitted their manors with newer style bathing rooms, and she wondered if that was such a room.</p>
<p>She didn’t have time to wonder too long.  Ben stopped at the side of the bed, setting Rey carefully on her feet.  She clutched at his shirt as her knees buckled and her legs wobbled.  She quietly cursed herself for being such a ninny and let his shirt go.  She began to fidget nervously when she realized, again, that she had no idea what to do.  Keeping her gaze averted, she took a step back from Ben and went to his dressing table and sat and toed off her slippers. Her fingers shook as she began to pull the pins from her hair, each one falling to the polished surface with a clatter.  She tried to clear her mind, tried to remember some of the things she’d read in books and novels, but the effort proved futile.  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t clear the fog that had settled there.  The only things she could think of were Ben and what she needed to do to please him.  Whatever that might be.</p>
<p>When she pulled the last of the pins from her hair, she folded her hands tightly in her lap and stared at her interlaced fingers.  She was vaguely aware of Ben’s reflection in his mirror as he came up behind her, but it was more of a feeling than anything else.  Warmth, vitality, and arousal rolled off of him, and she shivered again.  Rey jumped when she felt his large hands rest on the bare skin of her shoulders.</p>
<p>“Don’t be frightened,” Ben purred deeply against her neck.  </p>
<p>His voice was so deep, so like the dark velvet he seemed to prefer.  Rey felt her sex clench and throb, a familiar bloom of heat, the relaxing of her muscles.  “Yes, Alpha,” she breathed.</p>
<p>Ben hummed in approval.  “Stand up, Little Omega.  Face me.”</p>
<p>Rey obeyed, holding onto the chair back for balance.  As she looked up into Ben’s eyes, she felt her breath leave her.  His expression was dark and hungry, his raven hair a glorious mess.  He really could be Hades, Rey thought.  As her gaze began to travel down, she quickly averted it again.  He was totally naked before her, pale skin stretched pleasingly over solid muscle, speckled with scars and dark marks.  By some miracle, Rey was able to keep her breathing even, even as he closed the distance between them.</p>
<p>“My poor little Omega.  So modest.  So shy,” he scolded.  He leaned forward to whisper darkly in her ear, “Take of your clothes.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t an Alpha command, but Rey felt compelled to obey anyway.  Her fingers shook as she found the row of buttons at the front of her dress.  Ben’s eyes followed her fingers as she slowly undid one after the other until the bodice loosened enough around her torso that she could slip her arms out and push the garment down.  She apparently wasn’t going fast enough for Ben, and his hands flew beneath the hem of her chemise to the tapes of her drawers.  He pulled the undergarment off roughly, his fingers giving her a quick teasing brush, making her yelp in surprise.  He grinned wickedly as he held them to his lips, his eyes full of dark promise.</p>
<p>Rey’s hands went to the ribbon of the chemise tied beneath her breasts.  She undid the simple knot and let the fragile cotton fall off her shoulders into a delicate pool at her feet.  She kept her eyes on Ben’s as he ran his fingers softly down her front.  She gasped quietly when he ran one hand over her breast, his featherlike touch lingering while her nipple pebbled under his fingers.  He paused at the subtle dips of her ribs and then the gentle flare of her hip bone, like he was trying to commit the structure of her body to memory.</p>
<p>“Look at you,” he whispered.</p>
<p>Rey closed her eyes in shame.  Her body displeased him.  She’d always been told as much.  Too skinny, too tall, too flat, not good for bearing children.  She sniffed lightly when she felt his fingers beneath her chin, urging her to look at him.</p>
<p>“So beautiful.  My perfect Omega.”</p>
<p>Rey let out a small sob of pleasure and took Ben’s face between her hands, bringing her mouth to his.  Ben held her in his arms and walked them both back to the bed.  He lifted her onto the bed, letting her catch her breath as she pushed herself backwards towards the pillows.  Overcome with a strange feeling of giddy arousal, Rey held her arms open, beckoning him to her.  Ben smiled rakishly and practically pounced on her, caging her beneath him with his arms.  He kissed her again, his mouth hot and demanding as it caressed hers.  He licked the seam of her mouth insistently, and she eagerly opened for him, panting greedily as his tongue tangled with hers.  One of his hands was at her neck, his thumb rubbing her gland roughly while the other lowered to cup her breast.  Rey’s back arched and her nerves tingled when he began to knead the supple flesh, and she couldn’t help but break away from his mouth when he began to pinch and rub the more sensitive skin of her nipple between his fingers.  They were quickly replaced by his mouth and teeth, and Rey cried out at the sensation.  She thrust her hands into his hair, holding him to her breast.  One of his hands coasted down her side to her thigh, and he gripped it hard, almost bruising.  Rey moaned as he pushed her leg up and to the side, spreading her wider for him.  He shimmied down her body quickly, leaving a trail of wet hot kisses down the flat plane of her stomach.</p>
<p>“Oh God, Omega,” he moaned as he took in the scent of her arousal, the sight of the slick coating her inner thighs.</p>
<p>Rey fisted the sheets beneath her tightly as she tried to regain her breath.  Her body was screaming, and she whimpered with need.  She yelped and jerked backwards when she felt Ben’s tongue part her.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?!” she cried breathlessly.</p>
<p>Ben responded by grabbing her hips and dragging her back towards him roughly.  She squirmed away from him again and brought her knees to her chest and looked at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p>Ben gave his head a shake and seemed to come back to senses somewhat.  “I’m sorry,” he growled lowly.  “Let me just...I need you this way.  It’ll help you with...this first time.  Please.”</p>
<p>Rey chewed her lip nervously as she unbent her knees.  Ben wrapped his hands gently around her calves this time and pulled her slowly towards him.</p>
<p>“That’s it, Little Omega.  Relax for me,” he murmured against her thigh.</p>
<p>Rey tried to obey, resting her hands on either side of her head, her fingers slightly curled.  She felt her body twitch involuntarily as Ben kissed his way up the inside of her thigh until she felt his breath of the folds of her sex.</p>
<p>“A-alpha?” she stammered.</p>
<p>Ben could only groan as he dragged his tongue through her velvet folds, as if he was savoring her.  Rey cried out desperately as he began to work her with his tongue, careful and slow.  Indescribable sensations began to fill her as she sobbed and writhed against his skilled mouth.  Her hands flew to the thick locks of his hair, her fingers knotting themselves in the silky strands.  Her back arched tightly, and she keened when she felt his finger brush her entrance then thrust inside quickly.  He added a second finger to stretch her while he found her clit with his tongue, licking at the sensitive nerves while his fingers stretched and stroked inside her.  Rey was vaguely aware that she was begging and pleading with him, saying she’d do whatever he wanted if he’d just end this exquisite torture.</p>
<p>He obliged.  Rey’s vision practically whited out and she saw stars when Ben sucked her silken peak into his mouth and angled his long thick fingers just so to reach deep inside her.  She felt herself release, the scent of her growing stronger in the air between them.  Ben released her from his mouth with a lewd sound as his fingers continued to stroke slowly, almost soothing, until she was boneless and heaving.  He added a third finger as she lay pliant beneath him, stretching the muscle and tissue to try and prepare her.</p>
<p>Eventually, he levered himself over her, brushing her hair back from her sweat slicked skin.  Rey smiled up at him, her Alpha, as she tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.  She brought one of her legs up, stretching herself open for him as he skimmed his hand reverently down her body again.  She twitched violently as his fingers brushed her nether lips again, and he smiled.</p>
<p>“Perfect,” Ben crooned in her ear.</p>
<p>Rey moaned softly at the praise as he guided the head of his rigid cock to her.  She inhaled sharply as he began to push himself in, her exhale coming out as a hiss at the strange sensation of pleasure-pain.  While he looked big, he felt bigger, and Rey shut her eyes tight, trying to ignore the tearing feeling while focusing on the feeling of his rigid length dragging against her intimate muscles.</p>
<p>“Look at me, Omega,” Ben commanded.</p>
<p>Rey eyes shot open to see Ben staring at her intently, his eyes glazed over with intense pleasure.  Rey’s lips parted as she realized that she was the one making him look this way.  It made her feel...powerful.  Filled with an unfamiliar boldness, she wrapped her arms around him and ran her nails gently down his back.  She arched her hips upwards abruptly, taking the rest of him in one swift move.  They both cried out in surprise, and Ben lost the last of his restraint.  He thrust into her roughly, over and over again, until she was gasping and panting, her skin on fire.</p>
<p>Ben was grunting and moaning, the sounds muffled against her neck as he mouthed at her scent gland.</p>
<p>Rey was vaguely aware of him growling, “Mine, mine, mine” and her response of “Yes, Alpha.  Only yours.”  His thrusts were more erratic, and she could feel the beginning of his knot.  He gave one final punishing thrust, and he was buried deep inside her, his knot inflating fully.  Rey cried out and sobbed as she came again around him, the feeling of fullness he was giving her unlike anything she’d ever expected to feel.</p>
<p>Braced on one arm above her, Ben wiped the crest of her cheek with his thumb.  She blinked in surprise at the wetness she saw there.</p>
<p>“Did I hurt you?” Ben asked softly, concerned.</p>
<p>Rey cupped his cheek with her hand and she smiled warmly up at him.  His knot throbbed deep inside her then, and she moaned softly, rolling her hips against his.  Ben groaned with pleasure as he felt himself begin to harden again, still buried inside her.</p>
<p>“No, Alpha.  It was perfect,” Rey breathed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Imperfect Dawn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben struggled to open his eyes.  He was in his bed on his back, awash in his and Rey’s scents.  The gentle light of dawn was peeking through a gap in his drapes, and if he had to guess, it was three days after they’d returned to Theed Park.  There was a small pile of dishes on the table he used when he wanted to take his meals in private and several empty glasses and pitchers on his dressing table.  Looking beside him, he saw Rey curled on her side, still asleep. Her hair was a mess, her body slowly rising and falling as she breathed deeply.  Ben smiled.  His beautiful strong Omega.  She’d been so attentive to him, her presence a balm.  Normally, he flew into fits of uncontrollable rage during his ruts, but everytime he felt himself drawing closer to the angry red emotion, Rey was there to give him whatever he needed.</p>
<p>As he skimmed his gaze down her form, he felt a frown tugging at his brow.  Peeking above the edge of the sheet on her back were several angry red marks.  Ben tugged the sheet down gently and had to stifle a shout of anger. Her back was covered in angry scratches.  As he looked closer, he saw fingerprint sized bruises around her ribs, hips, and arms.  His stubble had scratched the skin around her neck and glands raw.  He leapt out of the bed with an angry snarl and went to his dressing table.  He braced his hands and glared at himself in the mirror.  His eyes were dark rimmed, and he bore a few of his own marks, but his weren’t as severe as Rey’s.  Normal, even.  He slammed his fist on the table, furious with himself.</p>
<p>“Ben?” Rey’s soft voice called out.</p>
<p>He looked over at her, a pained expression on his face.  She held the sheet over her chest, her sparkling hazel eyes wide with concern.  Her mouth was kiss bruised, as was her collarbone.  An aggravated wail left Ben, and he turned away.</p>
<p>Rey tossed the sheet away and flew to him, resting her hand gently on his back.  “Ben!  What’s the matter?” she asked worriedly.  “Did I do something wrong?”</p>
<p>Ben scoffed a laugh.  Scratched and bruised, and probably in no insignificant amount of pain, she was still concerned if she’d pleased him. Ben pulled her into his arms and maneuvered her in front of the mirror.  “Look,” Ben managed to choke out.</p>
<p>“What am I supposed to see?” she asked bemused.  Her hands came up and held his arm that was across her chest.  She kissed his forearm sweetly and rested her chin there, staring at his reflection intently in the mirror.</p>
<p>Ben looked away, unable to bear the warmth and kindness in her gaze.  “I hurt you.”</p>
<p>Rey looked down her front and awkwardly over her shoulder at her back.  She spun in Ben’s arms and held him close and looked up at him sternly, taking his face between her hands.  Her expression softened at the pain and regret she saw there.  She tilted her head to the side and ran her fingers carefully through his hair.  Ben leaned into her touch and sighed deeply.</p>
<p>“You didn’t hurt me,” Rey murmured, a grave tone to her voice.  One that brokered no doubt, no argument.  She rose on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.  Ben basked in its sweetness, its tenderness.  He hummed lowly and brought his hands to Rey’s waist.  He ran them up and down her sides as he broke the kiss and beamed down at her.  Rey returned his smile with a bright one of her own.</p>
<p>Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by a quiet scratching on the bedroom door.  Ben scowled at the polished slab of mahogany and nudged Rey towards his dining table.  Draped over one chair was a robe of black silk brocade, and he gestured for her to don it.  Rey quickly did so, holding it tightly closed over her small frame.  Ben reached for a length of toweling he must have grabbed at some point during his rut and wrapped it around his waist.  He opened the door a crack to speak quietly with the servant while Rey nervously chewed her thumbnail.  He closed the door with a soft click and approached Rey, still smiling.</p>
<p>“Who was that?” Rey asked.  She tried to be nonchalant, but her voice came out with a waver anyway.  The knowledge that Ben’s servants knew what had transpired the last few days made her blush with embarrassment.  </p>
<p>Ben chuckled at her innocent modesty.  “My valet.  Don’t be ashamed, Rey.  The people under my employ know better than to say or do anything to make you uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>“But they still know,” Rey muttered, poking at the lush carpet with her toe.</p>
<p>Ben laughed loudly at that.  He held her shoulder in his hand, rubbing reassuringly.  “What do you think, that they don’t have those same feelings we do?”</p>
<p>“No!  I mean, I know that, it’s just, we don’t know when they’re doing those things.”</p>
<p>Ben tilted his head and nodded with understanding.  “I see what you mean, I suppose.  It’s just something you’ll have to make your peace with.  I’ve grown up that way, so I’ve never thought about things like that.  Like I said, they know better than to mention delicate matters like this.  Now come, let’s get cleaned up.”</p>
<p>Ben took Rey’s hand gingerly in his and led her to the partially closed door on the opposite end of the bedroom.  Pushing it open, Rey felt her mouth drop a bit.  Large panes of frosted glass let in an abundance of light, the golden rays of the sun cutting broad stripes across a cream colored tile floor.  Artful mosaics of dark glass were placed at regular intervals, a kind of variation on the traditional fleur-de-lis.  A large brazier sat in the middle of the room, dark and unlit, with a railing circling it about a foot away.  Several lengths of plush toweling were draped over the rail.  A silk screen of pale gold and green sat folded against the wall.  In the corner was a tall and narrow stall with odd exposed piping, a spout, and several knobs.  A door to a privy stood nearby.  Rey vaguely remembered Ben helping her through the room to that very water closet at some point, but she’d been too blissed out at the time to remember much else.  A large porcelain tub was built into another corner of the room, various bottles, jars, and a much smaller and more delicate brazier perched on the broad edge.  Ben went to the tub and turned the different taps, checking the temperature of the water that poured forth from the elegant spout before carefully adding a few drops from one of the bottles.  The exotic scent of sandalwood soon filled the room, and Rey sighed as she drifted towards the tub.</p>
<p>Rising gingerly from the tub edge, Ben approached Rey slowly, his gait languid and easy.  He dropped the towel from around his waist, and Rey flushed.  He was clearly a lot more at ease with his body than she was with hers.  Rey fiddled with the knot on her robe, grunting in frustration when she couldn’t get it undone.  Ben came over and brushed her hands away, deftly untying the stubborn fabric and pushing the heavy silk off her shoulders.  His hands followed the silk down her arms, and Rey felt gooseflesh ripple across her skin.  He interlaced their fingers and led her to the tub, helping her carefully up the step and into the warm water.  As Rey sat, she hissed as the water lapped across her sore body.  The stinging soon gave way to a pleasant warmth, and she couldn’t help but groan at the feeling.  Ben got in behind her, the water sloshing and raising as he lowered himself.  A deep sigh left him as well, his head dropping back to rest on the tub edge.  He pulled her back flush against him, urging her head back on his shoulder.  Rey wiggled as she felt as stiffness pressing against her back.</p>
<p>“Ben,” she began to say hesitatingly.</p>
<p>“Just ignore it; it’ll go away,” Ben mumbled.</p>
<p>Relieved, Rey relaxed against him and idly ran her fingers through the water, watching it wave and ripple.  “Ben?” she whispered a few minutes later, her voice barely audible above the soft sound of the water.</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Ben asked as he grabbed a washcloth and dunked it into the water.</p>
<p>Rey arched involuntarily as Ben began to run the warm wet cloth over her sore back.  “You don’t have to do that!” she yelped.</p>
<p>“I’m not one to do something for nothing,” Ben replied with a smirk.  “I expect you to reciprocate.”</p>
<p>Rey giggled and leaned forward to expose more of her back to him, pulling her hair over her shoulder as she did.  She looked over when she heard Ben’s breathing still.  His fingers skimmed up her back, stopping just beneath her mating gland.  Rey let out a small gasp at the nearness.</p>
<p>“You’ll go into heat soon.  A couple of weeks, I think,” Ben growled behind her.  </p>
<p>“Wh-what?” Rey stammered.  His tone stirred a feeling deep inside, now very familiar. </p>
<p>He cleared his throat.  “What did you want to ask?  Just a bit ago.  You were going to ask me something?” </p>
<p>“Oh,” Rey replied.  She drew her knees up and held them nervously as he rinsed her back.  He pulled her hair back and began to rinse that as well, scooping something minty smelling out of one of the jars to massage her scalp.</p>
<p>“Rey?” Ben prompted quietly.</p>
<p>Rey took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice even.  “Do you have to be in...rut...for us to do...that?” she asked glancing toward the bedroom.</p>
<p>Ben laughed lowly behind her as he rinsed the suds from her hair.  He leaned closer so he was just a breath from her ear.  “It’ll be much the same during your heat, but you’ll be so desperate for me.  You’ll say the sweetest things.  You’ll beg so beautifully for my knot.”</p>
<p>Rey gave a small whimper.  “So, are those the only times, then?”</p>
<p>She could sense Ben’s confusion, and she smiled to herself.  She enjoyed throwing him off guard.  “Only times?” he asked.</p>
<p>“The only times we can go to bed together,” she clarified, a teasing lilt to her voice.</p>
<p>Ben finished rinsing her hair before he decided to answer.  Sloshing water everywhere, he turned them both around so she was behind him now.  Rey laughed brightly and began to wash and rinse his hair and body, much as he had with her.  He hummed in deep appreciation as she massaged his scalp with the minty concoction, her nails scratching just enough.  As they both climbed out of the tub to dry off, Ben pulled her close so they were nose to nose, chest to chest.  He took her lips in a soft lingering kiss, pulling back just enough to whisper, “Definitely not.”</p>
<p>As Rey blushed and towelled herself off, Ben took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.  “But I want you to have time to heal first before we do that again.”  </p>
<p>They meandered back to the bedroom, and Rey’s eyes widened when she saw a lovely fine wool dress in a deep warm aubergine laid out for her, along with a silk chemise and drawers.  Her fingertips trailed over the black silk stockings laid out beside the dress, and she admired the delicate embroidery at the tops.  The elbow length sleeves of the dress were embroidered with a similar delicate design.  Looking closer, Rey saw that it was a design of daisies embroidered in delicate gold thread.  A shawl of French grey linen was thrown over one of the dining chairs, also embroidered with delicate gold daisies.</p>
<p>“Are these for me?” she asked, turning to Ben in wonderment.</p>
<p>Ben grinned as he looked at her.  Her sparkling eyes were round as saucers, her jaw slack with disbelief, almost as if she didn’t dare believe it.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Ben replied as he went to his armoire to dress.  “My mother, I presume, took the liberty of having a trousseau prepared for you, along with a handful of gowns.  I imagine she’ll want to take you to the modiste, Maz Kanata, in town for fittings.”</p>
<p>Rey pulled the chemise down over her head, sighing as the cool silk slipped over her skin.  She carefully rolled up the stockings to pull them up her calves and over her knees, again marveling at the feeling of the fine material over her skin.  She straightened, tucking a loose strand of damp hair behind her ear as she did, to see Ben watching her closely.  His hands hovered over the row of buttons on his pristine white shirt, his cravat loose around his neck.  She held her hand out to him, and he approached swiftly, taking her fingers in his.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she whispered deeply.  </p>
<p>Ben’s lips quirked in a smile, his cheeks flushing a slight pink, and he nodded.</p>
<p>They finished dressing quickly, and Ben helped Rey fasten the back of her gown and pin her hair up.  Rey tied his cravat, grinning madly with pride after she’d accomplished her task.</p>
<p>As they were about to exit the room, Ben put his hand on Rey’s shoulder, halting her.</p>
<p>“Oh!  Can’t leave without these,” Ben muttered as he went back to the table.  Rey looked on curiously as he bent and picked up a pair of objects from the floor.  “Sit,” he ordered, gesturing to the dressing table chair.</p>
<p>Rey sat primly as Ben knelt and removed her slippers and slipped a lovely pair of walking boots on her feet.  The brandy colored leather was buttery soft, the heels sturdy and low stacked.  A neat row of gold buttons rans up the side.  They fit perfectly.</p>
<p>“Ben, they’re beautiful,” Rey exclaimed.  “How did you know they’d fit?”</p>
<p>“I had Finn take your other pair of slippers to the cobbler.  Those seemed to fit you well enough.  Paid him extra to hurry the job.  I won’t have you walking about the grounds in flimsy slippers.”</p>
<p>Rey’s hands flew to Ben’s shoulders, her fingers digging deep into the soft black fabric of his coat.  “I can go outside?” she breathed.</p>
<p>Ben stared at her dumbstruck.  “Yes.  You’re not a prisoner here, Rey.”</p>
<p>Rey lunged at him, throwing her arms tight around his neck in an exuberant embrace.  Ben held her tightly as he stood, vowing silently to see the she never wanted for anything ever again.  He let her go and patted her hand reassuringly as she took his arm, ready at last to meet his household.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Dottie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey was slack jawed as Ben led her from his suite and down a long hallway.  She looked right and left and up and down, her eyes never lingering more than a few seconds in any one spot before something else drew her gaze.  This part of the manor gave off a very private feel, with gauzy curtains drawn over floor to ceiling windows and sconces only faintly lit.  A thick carpet runner in a Persian motif ran the length of the hallway floor, warm cherrywood beneath it.  Several large paintings were hung on the walls, and Rey recognized the hallmarks of Rembrandt and VerMeer in many of them.  Stands of intricately carved wood stood in the spaces between the windows, each crowned with a delicate painted porcelain vase or bowl heaped with fresh flowers and foliage.  They passed by several closed doors, and Rey couldn’t help but wonder what was behind each one.  She intended to find out.</p>
<p>As they came to the end of the hallway, Rey and Ben alighted on to a broad landing.  Rey’s eyes boggled.  Above them was a massive crystal chandelier, its arms gracefully curved upward and dripping with crystal baubles and ropes.  The crystals shimmered fiercely in the light from the large picture window behind them, the heavy curtains elegantly swagged.  Glancing out, Rey was able to glean just a hint of the grounds.  A paved patio stood below them, tables and chairs of finely wrought metal placed here and there.  Two men were busy cleaning the metal, diligently rubbing and polishing with different rags and cleaners.  </p>
<p>Ben tugged on her arm gently, drawing her attention away from the window and to the large wide marble staircase before her.  The marble was a light honey color, the bannister a warm bronze.  Each spindle was finely turned, twisting and scrolling almost like vines.  Rey reached out with her fingers and lightly touched the polished metal, surprised to find it as warm to the touch as it looked.  At the bottom of the stairs stood a man and a woman, both dressed simply but elegantly, the man in black and the woman in white and blue.  The man was tall and thin with warm golden skin and a shock of white hair.  The woman was much shorter and plumper, her hair a silvery blue and wild beneath a mop cap.  The woman smiled warmly up at the both of them while the man made a nervous bow.  He seemed possessed of a number of nervous tics and twitches, but his golden eyes were kind.</p>
<p>“My Lord, it is good to see you!” the woman said cheerfully as she clapped her hands together.</p>
<p>“Indeed it is, My Lord!  I trust the journey was pleasant,” the man said, his voice clipped and polished.</p>
<p>The corner of Ben’s mouth twitched upward and Rey ducked her head to hide her blush.  “Most pleasant, Cyril.  I see you’ve kept things ship shape, Artemis?”</p>
<p>“Of course, My Lord!  I wanted everything just perfect should, well,” Artemis said, gesturing to Rey.</p>
<p>Rey shivered slightly as she felt Ben’s fingers rest lightly on the small of her back.  She took a small step forward and nodded to Artemis and Cyril.</p>
<p>“Rey, this is Artemis Deeton, my housekeeper and Cyril Cyrus Cowperthweit, my valet.  Cyril, Artemis, this is Rey Jinn, soon to be Lady Ky’loren.  I trust you’ll treat her with the same amount of respect you would treat any Lady.”</p>
<p>They responded simultaneously, “Of course, My Lord!”</p>
<p>Ben turned to Rey and leaned in, brushing her cheek with his lips.  “I have some business to attend to with my estate manager, Dopheld Mitaka.  I’ll leave you in Ms. Deeton’s very capable hands.”</p>
<p>Rey felt panic rising in her chest, but she managed to remain outwardly calm as she nodded in acknowledgment.  She watched him walk away towards a different end of the manor, his stride long and purposeful.</p>
<p>Artemis clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Where to start, My Lady?”</p>
<p>“I’m sure her ladyship would appreciate being shown to her chambers,” Cyril answered sarcastically.</p>
<p>In response, Artemis waved her hands in a dismissive motion.  “Oh bother you.  Go find something to polish.”</p>
<p>Cyril rolled his eyes lovingly and strode off.  Rey looked at the older woman, a bemused expression on her face.</p>
<p>“He can be such a bother, but I love him,” Artemis said affectionately.</p>
<p>“Are you and he,” Rey began to say, gesturing with her hands.</p>
<p>“Mated?  Yes,” Artemis replied.  Taking her ample skirts in one hand, the woman began to ascend the stairs again.  “Come now my dear lady.  Cyril’s right.  Let’s see your rooms.”</p>
<p>Rey scurried up the stairs after Artemis, following her as she turned down the opposite hallway from Ben’s.  It appeared her and Ben’s rooms were on different ends of the manor.  Rey couldn’t decide if that was odd or not.</p>
<p>Artemis seemed to sense her confusion and provided an answer.  “Lord Ky’loren’s grandmother Lady Padme had her rooms moved to this end of the manor.  They overlook the gardens.”</p>
<p>As they reached the end of the hallway, Artemis pushed open a door of pale colored wood, and Rey had to take a step back.  The door opened into a bright sitting room of cream, pale green, indigo, and gold.  Frothy silk and gauze curtains of cream and pale green were open to let in as much light as possible from the large windows.  Chairs upholstered in a deep indigo silk sat at a delicately carved dark wood table accented with gold leaf.  A lovely matched writing desk was placed between two of the windows, and Rey saw her books placed on the polished top.  Above the pale stone fireplace was a large painting of a garden scene, the soft colors and shapes swirling and dancing together.  The signature in the corner was one Rey didn’t recognize.  She stood on her toes to examine the rough scrawled signature more closely, squinting to try and make out the letters.</p>
<p>“One of the previous lords, Lord Anakin Skywalker, painted that for Lady Padme,” Artemis said softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.  “Never was there a couple more besotted with each other who suffered so much.”</p>
<p>Rey looked at Artemis confused.  The names were familiar, but she couldn’t recall any details.  Artemis sighed sadly and continued on to the bedroom.  It was decorated in a similar manner to the sitting room, the furniture made of the same dark wood with gold leaf accents.  Pale green silk curtains with a gold exotic peacock print hung from the bedposts, and Rey reached out to touch them.  The silk rippled beneath her fingers, soft and airy.  Peeking behind a smaller door, Rey saw a bathing room similar to Ben’s, again decorated in cream, pale green, and gold.</p>
<p>Rey made a sound of acknowledgment when she heard Artemis call out, “Be sure to let me know what scents you like for your bath, My Lady.”</p>
<p>French doors of paned glass stood closed on one wall, and Rey approached them cautiously, looking over her shoulder at Artemis.  The friendly woman gave her an encouraging smile, and Rey threw them open, revealing a stone balcony with a wrought iron railing.  The rooms did indeed look out over the gardens, and Rey clapped her hands to her mouth at the beautiful sight.  This part of the gardens were allowed to grow wild, with little to no sculpting or manicuring.  It was a riot of greens and colors, lush blooms and heavily scented vines.  Delicate tendrils of honeysuckle were creeping up the railing, and Rey knelt to take in their delicate fragrance.  A small table and a single chair were tucked in the corner of the balcony, a small hurricane lamp in the middle.  A gentle breeze was blowing, and Rey inhaled deeply, taking a moment to sit in the chair.  Artemis approached slowly and pulled something from her apron pocket.  Looking up, Rey saw she was holding a handkerchief out to her.  She took the cloth gratefully, dabbing her eyes.</p>
<p>“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Rey whispered, looking out over the gardens and back at the bedroom.  Her bedroom.  “I could sit here forever.”</p>
<p>Artemis patted her shoulder before she said teasingly, “I don’t think you’d like to in the winter, Dearie.”</p>
<p>Rey laughed and pushed herself out of the chair, taking Artemis’ outstretched arm gratefully.  They toured most of the rest of the house arm in arm, laughing all the while.  Artemis introduced the staff as they passed them, each servant bowing respectfully to Rey before resuming their various tasks.</p>
<p>“Lord Ky’loren has asked that I escort you to the library to join him for tea.  He should be finished with Mr. Mitaka by now,” Artemis said conversationally as they reached the bottom of the grand staircase again after touring the downstairs areas.</p>
<p>Rey furrowed her brow.  Something was bothering her.  “Ms. Deeton, who is Mr. Mitaka?”</p>
<p>“He’s the estate manager.  He helps Lord Ky’loren with things like finances, tenant matters, and the like.”</p>
<p>Rey hummed.  Something still bothered her.  “His name is Dopheld?”</p>
<p>“Yes.  Why do you ask, My Lady?”</p>
<p>“I feel like I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t remember,” Rey grumbled.</p>
<p>“It’s a strange one, I’ll give you that,” Artemis laughed. </p>
<p>Artemis led her down another hallway, this one shorter and darker as there were no windows.  At the end of the hall a large set of double doors stood open, and once again Rey was left dumbstruck.  The room was a good two stories in height with a metal spiral staircase on either side leading up to a floor that ran around the entire room.  Burgundy leather armchairs and warm wood tables were scattered around the floor, some piled with books and papers.  Book shelves of different heights lined the walls, different sculptures and busts perched haphazardly at different heights.  A fire glowed dimly in the large fieldstone fireplace, the broad hearth flanked by large stone lions.  Beneath a window there was a large map desk, and Rey felt her heart give a strange flip flop sensation as her eyes alighted on Ben.  He was focused intently on something, his dark hair flopping in front of his face.  He was listening intently as another man spoke and pointed to something.  She saw the moment Ben caught her scent in the air.  His eye twitched and his back straightened.  He turned and smiled at her, his hand held out.  Rey began to stride towards him eagerly, her own hands outstretched, when she caught sight of the other man with him.  </p>
<p>She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide with disbelief.  He was a pleasant looking fellow, with dark, neatly trimmed hair.  He was pale, and a good deal smaller than Ben.  His polite smile faded as he too caught sight of her, transforming into a similar look of disbelief.</p>
<p>Rey began to sing softly, her voice tremulous:<br/>There shall I gaze on the mountains again<br/>On the fields and the woods and the burns and the glens</p>
<p>And Dopheld finished:<br/>Away ‘mong the corries beyond human ken<br/>In the haunts of the deer will I roam  </p>
<p>They sang the chorus together, rushing towards each other.</p>
<p>“Sonnenschein!” Dopheld cried, enveloping Rey in a fierce embrace and swinging her off her feet.</p>
<p>“Dottie! I can’t believe it!” Rey exclaimed, her smile as bright as her tears of joy.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Soft</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mitaka!” Ben barked sharply.  Anger and jealousy flared in his blood, and it took all of Ben’s restraint to not tear the young man away from Rey and throw him to the floor.  His eyes grew cold and steely, his frame tense.  The smile slowly vanished from Rey’s face, her arms going limp as she watched him, felt the anger radiating from him.</p>
<p>Dopheld released Rey immediately and turned to Ben, bowing deep.  “Please forgive me, My Lord!  I just didn’t think…,” Dopheld began to sputter nervously.</p>
<p>“No, you didn’t,” Ben snarled.  He took a predatory step forward, fully intending to grab Rey and take her to the nearest room with a door that locked, his earlier reassurances about letting her heal be damned.  He reeled back in surprise when she stepped forward and held her arm out in front of Dopheld protectively.</p>
<p>“Alpha, no,” she hissed.  She stared him straight in the eye, her gaze flinty and her back ramrod straight.</p>
<p>Ben struggled to breathe, air coming out in huffs and hisses from his nose and between his clenched teeth.  Red prickled the edges of his vision, but Rey’s angry expression and posture kept him pinned.</p>
<p>She sighed and held her hands up in a calming gesture, her face relaxing as she approached him slowly.  She felt like a woman possessed, her Omega instincts taking over her fully.  Soothe the Alpha, reassure the Alpha.  She reached up and loosened his cravat with sure hands, the thin fabric hot to the touch.  Rey slipped her fingers beneath the cotton and rubbed his scent glands slowly, soothingly.  Ben’s eyes drifted closed and he heaved a deep sigh, his muscles relaxing.</p>
<p>“Shh, that’s it, Alpha.  It’s alright,” Rey whispered gently as she pulled one hand away from his neck to smooth his hair.</p>
<p>Ben ran his palm up the curve of Rey’s spine to lightly grip the nape of her neck.  He pulled her close, looking Dopheld straight in the eye as he growled lowly in her ear, “Mine.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Alpha,” Rey breathed.  </p>
<p>“My-my Lord,” Dopheld began nervously.  He was shaking like a reed in a storm, his pale skin having taken on a sickly pallor.  Ben’s lip curled in a snarl.  “She could never be...that is...we’re,” he huffed helplessly, throwing Rey beseeching glance.</p>
<p>As if she could see his desperate face, Rey held Ben’s ear to her lips and whispered so only he could hear, “We’re the same.  Omegas.”</p>
<p>Ben pulled back in shock and looked from Rey to Dopheld and back again, his jaw falling slack.</p>
<p>Mitaka sighed with a deep sadness.  “Well, I was.  The Science Academy in Coruscant changed all that when I was ten.”</p>
<p>“Mitaka,” Ben began somewhat apologetically.  Rey’s eyes were filled with angry tears.</p>
<p>Dopheld waved his hands.  “What’s done is done.  And Gwen loves me, and I love her.  I thought you knew that, My Lord.” </p>
<p>“No I didn’t,” Ben said, surprised.  The only Gwen he could think of was the tall Amazonian woman who ran the tavern in town.</p>
<p>“Who’s Gwen?” Rey asked, wiping the moisture from her eyes.</p>
<p>Dopheld’s soft brown eyes brightened.  “Oh, Sonnenschein, she’s wonderful.  She runs The Dragon’s Pillow, a tavern in Theedton.”</p>
<p>Ben sighed with relief and went to a nearby table where a tea service had been placed.  Rey joined him and poured them both some of the fragrant brew, looking up at him cautiously.  “Could Dottie please join us?” she asked timidly.</p>
<p>To her joy and surprise Ben nodded, although somewhat reservedly.  Dopheld took the chair furthest from Rey, which seemed to ease the tension somewhat.  The young manager gushed about Gwen Phasma, which helped keep the conversation light.  Rey clapped her hands together excitedly when Dopheld revealed he planned on proposing to the woman soon.</p>
<p>“She saved me, you know,” he said conspiratorially.</p>
<p>“How so?” Rey queried as she sipped her tea.</p>
<p>“When I ran from the Science Academy in my teens she hid me in the tavern’s basement.  We sort of, bonded I guess you could say,” Dopheld replied with a slight blush.  He gave himself a shake and smiled before he finished his cup of tea and rose to leave.</p>
<p>Ben couldn’t hide his relief.  It was obvious now he had nothing to fear from the man, but Ben’s primal Alpha side was still uneasy.</p>
<p>“Oh, My Lord?” Dopheld murmured before he left the room.</p>
<p>“Hmm?”</p>
<p>“I’ve already alerted the constable, and Gwen has also agreed to put together some volunteers, but the tenants in the northwest region have reported trespassers again.  A band of men are going about at night and harassing the families, and several strange men have been seen during daylight hours.”</p>
<p>Ben frowned.  For the past year or so his tenants in that part of the estate had been airing concerns about strangers lurking about.  Ben had brought up the issue with the town authorities, but apparently these lurkers were getting bolder.</p>
<p>“I won’t have my people threatened.  Make sure the constable doubles the patrols, and send for two Corellian Runners.  Once they arrive, notify me immediately. I want them to get to the bottom of this.  That should put off any enterprising thugs,” Ben ordered.</p>
<p>Dopheld bowed, “At once, My Lord.  Oh, My Lady?”</p>
<p>“What is it, Dottie?” Rey asked lightly, a happy smile on her lips.</p>
<p>“Whatever happened to…Never mind.”  Dopheld left his question unfinished as the smile fled and Rey’s face fell.  He bowed and retreated quickly.</p>
<p>Ben took Rey’s hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles.  “What was that about?”</p>
<p>Rey’s eyes turned distant and she pulled her hand away.  Ben sensed her retreating into herself again, as she had when they first met.  She shook her head.  “Nothing,” she murmured. </p>
<p>As Rey looked around the room, her eyes widened as she realized where they were sitting.  The smell of leather, vellum, and parchment swirled about the room, and she found herself relaxing.</p>
<p>Ben grinned with pride.  “Welcome to Theed Park’s library, Rey.”</p>
<p>Rey rose and wandered slowly and aimlessly around the room, occasionally reaching out to run her fingers down a leather bound spine.  Ben followed at a distance, content to watch her as she meandered about the parquet floor.</p>
<p>“Have you read all these?” she asked in wonderment.</p>
<p>Ben laughed loudly.  “God no.  This is my family’s collection going back generations.  I always preferred to study maps, battle histories, martial tactics, that sort of thing.  And now it’s yours, too.”</p>
<p>Rey’s bright smile returned as she made her way up one of the spiral staircases.</p>
<p>“I need to ride out to check on my tenants.  Are you alright here?” Ben called up to Rey.</p>
<p>He heard her mutter something unintelligible in response and watched her curl up in one of the chairs on the upper balcony.  Ben chuckled to himself as he left the room, content that Rey would be well occupied the rest of the day.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Ben rested his chin against his steepled fingers, worry lining his features.  It was late now, well past dark.  The warm indigo sky glittered with twinkling stars, but Ben took no joy in the night sky’s beauty.  The reports from Mitaka and his tenants were troublesome.  He had been glad to see that the patrols had been visibly increased as he’d requested and that Gwen had indeed put together a volunteer brigade, but he was still uneasy.  The presence of threatening strangers meant his tenants weren’t able to do their work, which affected everyone on the estate.  Thanks to Mitaka and a few trusted friends, Ben’s finances were solid and Theed Park didn’t totally rely on the fruits of tenant farming, but it was still a major component.  If they were roving bands of highwaymen, that would be easy.  However, these men weren’t taking anything.  Ben knew there was something else going on.  He was anxious for the Corellian Runners to arrive.  The best private detectives in the realm, they’d certainly get to the root of the matter.</p>
<p>He rose from his desk with a huff and went to sit in one of his chairs before the dying fire.  Artemis had reported that Rey had spent the day in the library, as Ben thought she would.  Cyril had found her curled up in a chair, asleep, when he’d brought her a supper tray.  He’d no sooner left the room when she called him back, having finished that tray and asked for another.  When Artemis had gone to check on her, she found the tray just outside the door perched on a hallway table with a note and Rey gone from the library.  Apparently, she’d taken a pile of books back to her suite and hadn’t been heard from since.</p>
<p>“That isn’t quite true, My Lord,” a young maid, Kaydel, had piped up.</p>
<p>They all turned to her, causing the young woman’s cheeks to redden.  “She asked for some tea and biscuits.  She asked me to sit with her.  I hope that’s alright.”</p>
<p>Ben had given her a reassuring smile.  “Of course, Kaydel.  Thank you.”</p>
<p>The young woman curtsied and went back to sweeping the hallway.</p>
<p>As he reflected on it, he wondered if Kaydel would make an acceptable ladies maid.  Kaydel seemed capable, and she and Rey were around the same age.  He’d discuss the matter with Artemis.  Surely the housekeeper would have some insight.  </p>
<p>Cyril had also given him a note from his mother.  She would be returning to Theed Park on the morrow.  Ben sighed aggravatedly.  He wondered what his mother would have to say.  She’d expressed very little in her letter, other than to say they had things “to discuss” and that she looked forward to meeting Rey.</p>
<p>Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a grumbling sigh.  He felt a pressure behind his eyes, the beginnings of a headache.  He was tired, but could find no rest.  At least, not here.  He pushed out of the chair and stalked out of his room and down dark hallways to the opposite end of the manor.  He wondered whose brilliant idea it was that noble lords and ladies should maintain separate living quarters.</p>
<p>“Idiots,” Ben muttered as he reached the door of Rey’s suite.  He scratched the door softly, but heard nothing from within.  Trying the handle, he found it unlocked.  He couldn’t decide if that was a surprise or not.  He pushed the heavy door open, finding the sitting room dark and empty.  Several books were piled on the table by an armchair, and Ben smiled.  He made his way into Rey’s bedroom quietly in case she was asleep, but her bed was empty.</p>
<p>Before panic could grip him, a gentle breeze wafted through the room from the open French doors.  Beneath the heavy honeysuckle, Ben caught Rey’s soft scent.  Looking to the balcony, he saw a flicker of gentle light, the silk curtains wafting in the summer air.  He made his way across the room and out the doors.  Looking to the corner, he saw Rey, asleep, curled in the chair, her legs tucked up and her head resting on her knees.  Her plaid blanket had slipped from her shoulders while she slept, but she didn’t seem to notice.  The hem of her soft cambric nightgown fluttered in the wind, as did the tiny flame in the lamp on the table.  Ben leaned over the table and snuffed the flame.  He was about to tuck her blanket back around her shoulders when he heard her breathing shift.</p>
<p>“Ben?” she mumbled sleepily, her eyelids fluttering open.</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Ben murmured apologetically.  He reached out and stroked the side of her face gently.  The skin of her cheek was cool from the night air.</p>
<p>She smiled sleepily at him and reciprocated the motion.  Ben felt his skin heat beneath her fingertips, a familiar thrumming as his blood moved faster.  She lifted her head slowly, her hands dipping to grip his open shirt as she brought her mouth to his.  Soft and sweet, Ben could still taste the sugared tea on her lips as he pulled her closer into his arms.  Ben held her face between his hands as she pulled back, her tongue flicking out to lick her bottom lip.  He took her mouth again greedily, the simple motion driving him mad.  Rey pushed her hands beneath his shirt, her palms cool against the skin of his chest. </p>
<p>Rey pulled back again and rested her head on his chest.  She nibbled her lip nervously before asking quietly, “Take me to bed?”</p>
<p>Ben tilted her chin up and ran his thumb back and forth across her lush bottom lip as gently as he could.  Rey’s eyes were wide and dark as she stared up at him waiting for his answer.  Instead of saying a word, Ben pulled her off of her chair and back into her bedroom, closing the doors behind him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Slow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey sat perched on the edge of her bed and watched as Ben approached her slowly.  She made room for him on the mattress and gestured for him to sit beside her.</p>
<p>Ben sat and rested his hand over her thigh, his thumb rubbing small circles into the muscle.</p>
<p>“You haven’t had time to heal,” he murmured.</p>
<p>Rey placed her hand over his and brought it to her lips.  She kissed each of his knuckles in turn before turning it over to nuzzle her cheek against his palm.  “I told you, you didn’t hurt me.  And you told me to take what I wanted.  This is what I want,” she whispered emphatically.</p>
<p>“Rey…”</p>
<p>“L-love me slow.  Ben.”</p>
<p>Logically, Ben knew she meant love in the physical sense.  But, her intimate admission, her hesitation, it made him wonder.  He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and tightened his grip just enough for her head to fall back, a gasp falling prettily from her mouth.  </p>
<p>“You make the most beautiful sounds, Little Omega,” he hummed.  He leaned in and began to brush his lips up the column of her throat, grinning as he felt her whimper and her hands scrabbling at his loose shirt.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” Rey whispered breathlessly.</p>
<p>He fisted her nightgown in his free hand and pulled it as high as he could, letting the fabric and his clenched fingers graze the seam of her thighs.  “Good girl,” he praised lowly.  “Say it again.”</p>
<p>“Alpha,” Rey whimpered.  Ben hummed with approval and wrapped his arms around her.  She was trembling, her skin warm beneath the soft fabric.  He laid her carefully on her back among the downy pillows before he kissed her lips again, slow and gentle like she’d asked.  She brought one knee up instinctually, her dress bunching around her hips, and Ben let his fingers trail up and down her velvety skin.  He pulled back to watch as he touched her, basking in her sighs and breathy pants.  Rey laid her hands beside her head, her fingers relaxed as she held his gaze.  Her warm hair was fanned out around her face like a halo, the tendrils soft and wispy against the light linens, and suddenly it was Ben who found himself without breath.  He reached up and undid the satin ribbon of her nightgown, pulling the fabric aside gently.  His breathing grew heavy as he watched the sensitive skin pebble in the cooling air, as he saw her fingers twitch as he grazed the hard peaks with his own.</p>
<p>“So beautiful,” Ben moaned quietly as he leaned forward to capture one with his mouth.  Rey gasped and arched slightly against him.  Her hands flew to his hair, and Ben moaned against her heated skin when she pulled lightly.  He nipped and soothed with tongue, teeth, and fingers until she was shaking beneath him.  She tugged on his hair insistently, and Ben released her from his mouth, but not his fingers.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” Rey mewled pleadingly, trying desperately to tug him up to her.  “Alpha, please.”</p>
<p>Ben pushed himself up from the mattress, quickly throwing off his clothes and looking pointedly at Rey until she followed suit.  He laid down next to her and brought his hand back to her thigh, his fingers resuming their light grazing.  He studied her, tender affection in his gaze.  His Omega.  How quickly, how thoroughly she’d wound her way into his life.</p>
<p>Ben leaned forward, his lips hovering a hairsbreadth above hers.  Her breath was coming out in little puffs against his skin, and he smiled.  “I’m going to take such good care of you, Little Omega,” he breathed.</p>
<p>Rey whimpered, a grateful needy sound, when he dipped his fingers between her legs to part her.  She felt swollen and slick, and Ben explored her slowly, careful to watch her for signs of pain or discomfort.  He hadn’t been gentle during his rut, and she hadn’t asked him to be.  She’d simply given, and he intended to reward her.</p>
<p>Sighs and breathy moans fell from her lips like beautiful music, her hands gripping her bed sheets so tightly Ben almost thought she’d tear them.  He nuzzled roughly into the side of her neck, her scent so strong and aroused he moaned as he kissed her feverish skin.  He slipped two fingers inside her easily, her hips rising off the mattress in response.</p>
<p>“You feel so good, Omega,” he whispered beneath her ear.</p>
<p>“Alpha,” Rey panted, her movements becoming erratic and wild.  “Alpha, I need...please, let me.”</p>
<p>“Hush, Omega.  I know what you need,” he growled.  He brought his thumb against her clit, circling and rubbing the nerves skillfully as he ran his teeth along her neck, biting gently into the space where it met her shoulder.</p>
<p>Rey cried out with a sob as she came, her walls fluttering against his fingers.  Her back fell back against the bed, her chest heaving as Ben coaxed her back to him.  He slowly spread heated kisses along her neck and collarbone until she started panting again.  He could listen to her sounds forever.  </p>
<p>Without so much as a breath or word of warning, Rey flipped onto her side and pushed him onto his back.  She braced her small hands on his chest as she swung one leg over to straddle him.  </p>
<p>“What a bold little Omega I have,” Ben hummed in approval.  “Desperate to ride your Alpha’s cock?”</p>
<p>Rey’s eyes were heavy lidded and lust clouded when she answered, “Yes, Alpha.”  She rolled her hips, letting his rigid length slip between her wet folds.  Ben threw his head back and groaned, his fingers digging into her thighs as she ground against him until she was nearly sobbing.</p>
<p>“Take it, Rey,” Ben commanded.  “Take it all like the good Omega you are.”</p>
<p>Rey lifted her hips, and Ben jerked violently as she took him in hand, trying to get the angle just right. They both moaned and shouted out indecently as she brought his weeping head to her entrance and sank slowly down until they were flush.  Rey held still above him, letting her intimate muscles adjust.</p>
<p>“Oh God, so perfect,” Ben groaned as she began to move.  He found her hands on his chest and brought them up so he could interlace their fingers.  He held her up that way as she rode him, taking him as she wanted.</p>
<p>“Will you touch me, Alpha?  Please?” Rey whimpered.  </p>
<p>At the question, whispered so sweetly, Ben moaned and felt his knot beginning.  He let go of one of her hands and brought his fingers to her again, his thumb quickly finding her throbbing clit.  Rey threw her head back with a cry as she came apart again, her walls clamping deliciously around him.  He came in response, his hips thrusting upward against her to bury himself deep.  Each spurt and throb made him twitch, and Ben pulled Rey down to lay over him, the weight of her soothing his overstimulated nerves.  He wrapped her tightly in his arms as they both drifted in and out of awareness, trying desperately to fight the instinct to sleep.  It was a fight they lost quickly, both succumbing to its warm embrace.</p>
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